Dubai Desert Classic preview: DP World Tour set for first Rolex Series event of 2024
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Rory McIlroy is favorite to win the Hero Dubai Desert Classic for a fourth time as the DP World Tour heads to Emirates Golf Club for the first elevated Rolex Series event of 2024.
McIlroy returns to the tournament as defending champion having beaten Patrick Reed by one shot last January thanks to a dramatic birdie on the 72nd hole. It’s a tournament that holds fond memories for the Northern Irishman having been his first DP World Tour (then European Tour) victory back in 2009. His second win came in 2015.
The four-time Major champion looked set to start 2024 with a victory at the inaugural Dubai Invitational, heading to the 72nd hole with a one-shot lead over Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood, only to find the water with his tee shot and hand victory to the Englishman. Read our in-depth guide to Fleetwood’s winning bag.
This week sees a larger field of 126 players and far larger purse with $9,000,000 on offer, with the winner taking home $1.53m. That’s the same amount as 2023, but the prize fund has grown by $5.75m since 2021 and a whopping $8.55m since its inception in 1989.
The inaugural Dubai Desert Classic was the first European Tour event to be played on the Arabian Peninsula and since then it has been won by some of the game’s biggest names, including McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Serve Ballesteros, Ernie Els, Jose Maria Olazabal, Sergio Garcia, and Bryson DeChambeau.
Once again in 2024, the event has attracted some of the game’s biggest names with McIlroy joined by Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Brian Harman, Cameron Young, Nicolai Hojgaard, Luke Donald, Padraig Harrington, and Ryan Fox.
How does the DP World Tour schedule work?
2024 sees the DP World Tour schedule expanded and split into five ‘swings’. The opening swing saw six events played in Australia, South Africa and Mauritius at the end of 2023. The International Swing runs until March 10, with events in the UAE, Bahrain, Kenya, and South Africa, before a five-event Asian Swing, six-event European Swing, and five-event closing swing.
As the name suggests, ‘The Back Nine’ will see further nine events played across Europe, including the British Masters, Irish Open, and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, before the season concludes with the new big-money DP World Tour Play-offs – the Abu Dhabi Championship and DP World Tour Championship.
2024 will see five Rolex Series events, starting with this week’s Hero. Dubai Desert Classic. The Genesis Scottish Open, BMW PGA Championship, the Abu Dhabi Championship, and the season-closing DP World Tour Championship are the other elevated events where big purses will be on offer.
Who is playing in the Dubai Desert Classic?
Rory McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton, Brian Harman, Cameron Young, Nicolai Hojgaard, Adrian Meronk, Luke Donald, Padraig Harrington, and Ryan Fox are the star attractions at this year’s event.
See the full list of the 126 pros who are teeing it up at Emirates Golf Club and how they qualified here.
What is the format of the Dubai Desert Classic?
It is a standard strokeplay event played over 72 holes with a cut after 36 holes (two rounds) that sees the leading 65 players and ties make the final two rounds. The player who achieves the lowest score over four rounds will win the tournament.
Where is the Dubai Desert Classic played?
It is played at Emirates Golf Club on the edge of the city of Dubai. Barring 1999 and 2000, when the tournament was played at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, Emirates GC has hosted every edition since the its inception in 1989.
The event is played across the world-famous Maljis course, a par-72 layout that measures 7,301 yards, and is widely considered among the best golf courses in the Middle East. Designed by American architect Karl Litten, it was also the first grass course in the Middle East and takes its name from the Arabic word for ‘meeting place’.
Ernie Els holds the course record with an 11-under-par 61, dating back to January 27, 1994.
Who will win the Dubai Desert Classic?
Rory McIlroy is the bookmakers’ favorite to lift the impressive trophy for the fourth time and defend the crown he won in 2023.
The Northern Irishman, who won his first DP World Tour title at this event 15 years ago, is the highest-ranked player in the field.
Fellow Ryder Cup star Tyrrell Hatton, looking for his fifth Rolex Series victory, is second-favorite, with Tommy Fleetwood 11/1 to lift his second trophy in a row.
Selected odds (correct at 10.30am GMT on Jan 15, 2024)
Rory McIlroy 7/2
Tyrrell Hatton 10/1
Tommy Fleetwood 11/1
Joaquin Niemann 16/1
Brian Harman 16/1
Cameron Young 18/1
Adam Scott 20/1
Nicolai Hojgaard 20/1
Adrian Meronk 25/1
Thorbjorn Olesen 28/1
Rasmus Hojgaard 301
Ryan Fox 33/1
Yannik Paul 35/1
Thriston Lawrence 40/1
Jordan Smith 45/1
Laurie Canter 66/1
Alex Fitzpatrick 70/1
Padraig Harrington 90/1
Luke Donald 250/1
How much does the Dubai Desert Classic winner receive?
The winner takes home $1.53m, which is the same amount McIlroy received in 2023. The total purse on offer is $9,000,000 – only the season-ending DP World Tour Championship pays more with a $10m prize fund.
There are also 8,000 Race to Dubai points available, which could prove significant in reaching the end-of-year play-off tournaments.
The prize fund has increased significantly in the event’s 35-year history, as shown below.
| Year | Winner | Prize fund | Winner’s share |
| 1989 | Mark James | $450,000 | $75,000 |
| 1990 | Eamon Darcy | $450,000 | $75,000 |
| 1991 | NO TOURNAMENT DUE TO GULF WAR | NA | NA |
| 1992 | Seve Ballesteros | $650,000 | $108,333 |
| 1993 | Wayne Westner | $500,000 | $83,333 |
| 1994 | Ernie Els | $700,000 | $116,667 |
| 1995 | Fred Couples | $700,000 | $116,667 |
| 1996 | Colin Montgomerie | $1,000,000 | $166,667 |
| 1997 | Richard Green | $1,200,000 | $200,000 |
| 1998 | Jose Maria Olazabal | $1,300,000 | $216,667 |
| 1999 | David Howell | $1,300,000 | $216,667 |
| 2000 | Jose Coceres | $1,300,000 | $216,667 |
| 2001 | Thomas Bjorn | $1,500,000 | $250,000 |
| 2002 | Ernie Els | $1,500,000 | $250,000 |
| 2003 | Robert Jan-Derksen | $2,000,000 | $333,333 |
| 2004 | Mark O’Meara | $2,000,000 | $333,333 |
| 2005 | Ernie Els | $2,200,000 | $366,667 |
| 2006 | Tiger Woods | $2,400,000 | $309,862 |
| 2007 | Henrik Stenson | $2,400,000 | $309,862 |
| 2008 | Tiger Woods | $2,500,000 | $416,750 |
| 2009 | Rory McIlroy | $2,500,000 | $416,750 |
| 2010 | Miguel Angel Jiminez | $2,500,000 | $416,750 |
| 2011 | Alvaro Quiros | $2,500,000 | $416,750 |
| 2012 | Rafa Cabrera-Bello | $2,500,000 | $416,750 |
| 2013 | Stephen Gallacher | $2,500,000 | $416,750 |
| 2014 | Stephen Gallacher | $2,500,000 | $416,750 |
| 2015 | Rory McIlroy | $2,650,000 | $441,755 |
| 2016 | Danny Willett | $2,650,000 | $441,755 |
| 2017 | Sergio Garcia | $2,650,000 | $441,755 |
| 2018 | Haotong Li | $3,000,000 | $500,100 |
| 2019 | Bryon DeChambeau | $3,250,000 | $541,660 |
| 2020 | Lucas Herbert | $3,250,000 | $541,660 |
| 2021 | Paul Casey | $3,250,000 | $528,514 |
| 2022 | Viktor Hovland | $8,000,000 | $1,333,330 |
| 2023 | Rory McIlroy | $9,000,000 | $1,530,000 |
| 2024 | To be played | $9,000,000 | $1,530,000 |
Dubai Desert Classic Tee Times
ROUND 1 (All times local. GMT +4. EST +9.)
| Time | Tee | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07:10 | 1 | DEL REY, Alejandro | GOUVEIA, Ricardo | VAILLANT, Tom |
| 07:20 | 1 | TARRIO, Santiago | JAMIESON, Scott | HUIZING, Daan |
| 07:30 | 1 | ZANOTTI, Fabrizio | NØRGAARD, Niklas | SADDIER, Adrien |
| 07:40 | 1 | WHITNELL, Dale | FORSSTRÖM, Simon | GAVINS, Daniel |
| 07:50 | 1 | CABRERA BELLO, Rafa | CLEMENTS, Todd | KAWAMURA, Masahiro |
| 08:00 | 1 | LI, Haotong | MANSELL, Richard | LAW, David |
| 08:10 | 1 | WILSON, Oliver | DONALDSON, Jamie | HIDALGO, Angel |
| 08:20 | 1 | VEERMAN, Johannes | SCHNEIDER, Marcel | GREEN, Gavin |
| 08:30 | 1 | CANTER, Laurie | GRENVILLE-WOOD, Joshua | KO, Jeong weon |
| 08:40 | 1 | DAFFUE, MJ | NEMECZ, Lukas | KJELDSEN, Søren |
| 08:50 | 1 | GARCIA, Sebastian | COUSSAUD, Ugo | WIEBE, Gunner |
| 07:10 | 10 | KINHULT, Marcus | TWAY, Kevin | HELLIGKILDE, Marcus |
| 07:20 | 10 | HARRINGTON, Padraig | BRUN, Julien | ARMITAGE, Marcus |
| 07:30 | 10 | MCKIBBIN, Tom | LOMBARD, Zander | SOUTHGATE, Matthew |
| 07:40 | 10 | OTAEGUI, Adrian | SMITH, Jordan | LANGASQUE, Romain |
| 07:50 | 10 | PAUL, Yannik | FITZPATRICK, Alex | MOLINARI, Francesco |
| 08:00 | 10 | HARMAN, Brian | MERONK, Adrian | BRADBURY, Dan |
| 08:10 | 10 | MCILROY, Rory | HØJGAARD, Nicolai | SCOTT, Adam |
| 08:20 | 10 | HOSHINO, Rikuya | ROZNER, Antoine | FERGUSON, Ewen |
| 08:30 | 10 | NIEMANN, Joaquin | KIMSEY, Nathan | MIGLIOZZI, Guido |
| 08:40 | 10 | WINTHER, Jeff | ELVIRA, Nacho | SHARMA, Shubhankar |
| 08:50 | 10 | PEPPERELL, Eddie | SCHWAB, Matthias | KIEFFER, Maximilian |
| 11:30 | 1 | CROCKER, Sean | STRYDOM, Ockie | JARVIS, Casey |
| 11:40 | 1 | PENGE, Marco | WU, Ashun | RAMSAY, Richie |
| 11:50 | 1 | SYME, Connor | HILLIER, Daniel | BACHEM, Nick |
| 12:00 | 1 | SCHAPER, Jayden | LAWRENCE, Thriston | BROWN, Daniel |
| 12:10 | 1 | LARRAZÁBAL, Pablo | SIEM, Marcel | DONALD, Luke |
| 12:20 | 1 | FLEETWOOD, Tommy | YOUNG, Cameron | FOX, Ryan |
| 12:30 | 1 | HATTON, Tyrrell | HØJGAARD, Rasmus | OLESEN, Thorbjørn |
| 12:40 | 1 | CAMPILLO, Jorge | SÖDERBERG, Sebastian | LUITEN, Joost |
| 12:50 | 1 | FORREST, Grant | BJØRN, Thomas | GUERRIER, Julien |
| 13:00 | 1 | ARNAUS, Adri | SVENSSON, Jesper | THORBJORNSEN, Michael |
| 11:30 | 10 | SCALISE, Lorenzo | BLOMME, Adam | KOFSTAD, Espen |
| 11:40 | 10 | MORRISON, James | SORDET, Clément | SCRIVENER, Jason |
| 11:50 | 10 | BALDWIN, Matthew | SULLIVAN, Andy | MOLINARI, Edoardo |
| 12:00 | 10 | DU PLESSIS, Hennie | JORDAN, Matthew | DE JAGER, Louis |
| 12:10 | 10 | SHINKWIN, Callum | SAMOOJA, Kalle | DANTORP, Jens |
| 12:20 | 10 | HILL, Calum | ELVIRA, Manuel | FRITTELLI, Dylan |
| 12:30 | 10 | WIESBERGER, Bernd | WARING, Paul | COCKERILL, Aaron |
| 12:40 | 10 | LORENZO-VERA, Mike | GALLACHER, Stephen | LONG, Hurly |
| 12:50 | 10 | CHAPPELL, Kevin | FISHER, Ross | MANASSERO, Matteo |
| 13:00 | 10 | HANNA, Chase | PAVAN, Andrea | KJETTRUP, Frederik |
ROUND 2 (All times local. GMT +4. EST +9.)
| Time | Tee | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07:10 | 1 | SCALISE, Lorenzo | BLOMME, Adam | KOFSTAD, Espen |
| 07:20 | 1 | MORRISON, James | SORDET, Clément | SCRIVENER, Jason |
| 07:30 | 1 | BALDWIN, Matthew | SULLIVAN, Andy | MOLINARI, Edoardo |
| 07:40 | 1 | DU PLESSIS, Hennie | JORDAN, Matthew | DE JAGER, Louis |
| 07:50 | 1 | SHINKWIN, Callum | SAMOOJA, Kalle | DANTORP, Jens |
| 08:00 | 1 | HILL, Calum | ELVIRA, Manuel | FRITTELLI, Dylan |
| 08:10 | 1 | WIESBERGER, Bernd | WARING, Paul | COCKERILL, Aaron |
| 08:20 | 1 | LORENZO-VERA, Mike | GALLACHER, Stephen | LONG, Hurly |
| 08:30 | 1 | CHAPPELL, Kevin | FISHER, Ross | MANASSERO, Matteo |
| 08:40 | 1 | HANNA, Chase | PAVAN, Andrea | KJETTRUP, Frederik |
| 07:10 | 10 | CROCKER, Sean | STRYDOM, Ockie | JARVIS, Casey |
| 07:20 | 10 | PENGE, Marco | WU, Ashun | RAMSAY, Richie |
| 07:30 | 10 | SYME, Connor | HILLIER, Daniel | BACHEM, Nick |
| 07:40 | 10 | SCHAPER, Jayden | LAWRENCE, Thriston | BROWN, Daniel |
| 07:50 | 10 | LARRAZÁBAL, Pablo | SIEM, Marcel | DONALD, Luke |
| 08:00 | 10 | FLEETWOOD, Tommy | YOUNG, Cameron | FOX, Ryan |
| 08:10 | 10 | HATTON, Tyrrell | HØJGAARD, Rasmus | OLESEN, Thorbjørn |
| 08:20 | 10 | CAMPILLO, Jorge | SÖDERBERG, Sebastian | LUITEN, Joost |
| 08:30 | 10 | FORREST, Grant | BJØRN, Thomas | GUERRIER, Julien |
| 08:40 | 10 | ARNAUS, Adri | SVENSSON, Jesper | THORBJORNSEN, Michael |
| 11:30 | 1 | KINHULT, Marcus | TWAY, Kevin | HELLIGKILDE, Marcus |
| 11:40 | 1 | HARRINGTON, Padraig | BRUN, Julien | ARMITAGE, Marcus |
| 11:50 | 1 | MCKIBBIN, Tom | LOMBARD, Zander | SOUTHGATE, Matthew |
| 12:00 | 1 | OTAEGUI, Adrian | SMITH, Jordan | LANGASQUE, Romain |
| 12:10 | 1 | PAUL, Yannik | FITZPATRICK, Alex | MOLINARI, Francesco |
| 12:20 | 1 | HARMAN, Brian | MERONK, Adrian | BRADBURY, Dan |
| 12:30 | 1 | MCILROY, Rory | HØJGAARD, Nicolai | SCOTT, Adam |
| 12:40 | 1 | HOSHINO, Rikuya |  ROZNER, Antoine | FERGUSON, Ewen |
| 12:50 | 1 | NIEMANN, Joaquin | KIMSEY, Nathan | MIGLIOZZI, Guido |
| 13:00 | 1 | WINTHER, Jeff | ELVIRA, Nacho | SHARMA, Shubhankar |
| 13:10 | 1 | PEPPERELL, Eddie | SCHWAB, Matthias | KIEFFER, Maximilian |
| 11:30 | 10 | DEL REY, Alejandro | GOUVEIA, Ricardo | VAILLANT, Tom |
| 11:40 | 10 | TARRIO, Santiago | JAMIESON, Scott | HUIZING, Daan |
| 11:50 | 10 | ZANOTTI, Fabrizio | NØRGAARD, Niklas | SADDIER, Adrien |
| 12:00 | 10 | WHITNELL, Dale | FORSSTRÖM, Simon | GAVINS, Daniel |
| 12:10 | 10 | CABRERA BELLO, Rafa | CLEMENTS, Todd | KAWAMURA, Masahiro |
| 12:20 | 10 | LI, Haotong | MANSELL, Richard | LAW, David |
| 12:30 | 10 | WILSON, Oliver | DONALDSON, Jamie | HIDALGO, Angel |
| 12:40 | 10 | VEERMAN, Johannes | SCHNEIDER, Marcel | GREEN, Gavin |
| 12:50 | 10 | CANTER, Laurie | GRENVILLE-WOOD, Joshua | KO, Jeong weon |
| 13:00 | 10 | DAFFUE, MJ | NEMECZ, Lukas | KJELDSEN, Søren |
| 13:10 | 10 | GARCIA, Sebastian | COUSSAUD, Ugo | WIEBE, Gunner |
About the Author
Rob specializes in the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the Ryder Cup, spending large chunks of his days reading about, writing about, and watching the tours each month.
He’s passionate about the equipment used by professional golfers and is also a font of knowledge when it comes to golf balls, golf trolleys, and golf bags, testing thousands down the years.
Rob uses a Callaway Paradym driver, TaylorMade M5 5-wood, TaylorMade P790 driving iron, Callaway Paradym irons (4-AW), TaylorMade MG3 wedges (52º, 58º), Odyssey Tri-Hot 5k Double Wide putter, and Callaway Chrome Soft X golf ball.
You can email Rob or get in touch with him on X.
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Rory McIlroy is hoping to defend his Dubai Desert Classic title as the DP World Tour heads to Emirates Golf Club for the first Rolex Series event of 2024.
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Rory McIlroy won his third Dubai Desert Classic in 2023 and is the favorite to win again in 2024.
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Tiger Woods has won the Dubai Desert Classic twice, in 2006 and 2008.
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Tommy Fleetwood is hoping to win back-to-back title in Dubai, where he and his family live.
