Hero Dubai Desert Classic 2025: Purse and prize money payout at the Rolex Series opener
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How will the prize money be distributed at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, where Rory McIlroy is targeting a fifth title at the DP World Tour event?
With its elevated status as a Rolex Series event on the DP World Tour, the Hero Dubai Desert Classic offers a bumper purse of $9 million and 8,000 Race to Dubai points.
The Emirates Golf Club has been a particularly happy hunting ground over the years for McIlroy, who returns to headline a stellar field, stacked with Ryder Cup stars including the LIV big guns of John Rahm and Tyrell Hatton. McIlroy, who opens his 2025 campaign following the launch of TGL, is the strong favorite to lift a third successive title and fifth overall in the desert this week.
The event is the first in the five-event Rolex Series and marks a rare week in the global golf calendar when the DPWT purse exceeds the concurrently running event on the PGA Tour – The American Express. This year’s champion will take home just over $1.5 million, remaining consistent with that received by McIlroy for his 2023 and 2024 victories. The prize fund has increased significantly in the event’s 36-year history, which boasts an illustrious roll call of champions including Tiger Woods, Serve Ballesteros, Ernie Els, Jose Maria Olazabal, Sergio Garcia, and Bryson DeChambeau.
Hero Dubai Desert Classic 2025: Prize money payout
| Position | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| 1st | $1,530,000 |
| 2nd | $990,000 |
| 3rd | $567,000 |
| 4th | $450,000 |
| 5th | $381,600 |
| 6th | $315,000 |
| 7th | $270,000 |
| 8th | $225,000 |
| 9th | $201,600 |
| 10th | $180,000 |
| 11th | $165,600 |
| 12th | $154,800 |
| 13th | $144,900 |
| 14th | $137,700 |
| 15th | $132,300 |
| 16th | $126,900 |
| 17th | $121,500 |
| 18th | $116,100 |
| 19th | $111,600 |
| 20th | $108,000 |
| 21st | $104,400 |
| 22nd | $101,700 |
| 23rd | $99,000 |
| 24th | $96,300 |
| 25th | $93,600 |
| 26th | $90,900 |
| 27th | $88,200 |
| 28th | $85,500 |
| 29th | $82,800 |
| 30th | $80,100 |
| 31st | $77,400 |
| 32nd | $74,700 |
| 33rd | $72,000 |
| 34th | $69,300 |
| 35th | $66,600 |
| 36th | $63,900 |
| 37th | $62,100 |
| 38th | $60,300 |
| 39th | $58,500 |
| 40th | $56,700 |
| 41st | $54,900 |
| 42nd | $53,100 |
| 43rd | $51,300 |
| 44th | $49,500 |
| 45th | $47,700 |
| 46th | $45,900 |
| 47th | $44,100 |
| 48th | $42,300 |
| 49th | $40,500 |
| 50th | $38,700 |
| 51st | $36,900 |
| 52nd | $35,100 |
| 53rd | $33,300 |
| 54th | $31,500 |
| 55th | $30,600 |
| 56th | $29,700 |
| 57th | $28,800 |
| 58th | $27,900 |
| 59th | $27,000 |
| 60th | $26,100 |
| 61st | $25,200 |
| 62nd | $24,300 |
| 63rd | $23,400 |
| 64th | $22,500 |
| 65th | $21,600 |
| 66th | $20,700 |
| 67th | $19,800 |
| 68th | $18,900 |
| 69th | $18,000 |
| 70th | $17,100 |
Dubai Desert Classic: Prize fund history
| Year | Winner | Purse | Winner’s share |
| 1989 | Mark James | $450,000 | $75,000 |
| 1990 | Eamon Darcy | $450,000 | $75,000 |
| 1991 | Cancelled (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 | Rory McIlroy | $9,000,000 | $1,530,000 |
About the author
Ross Tugwood – Senior Digital Writer
Ross Tugwood is a Senior Digital Writer for todays-golfer.com, specializing in data, analytics, science, and innovation.
Ross is passionate about optimizing sports performance and has a decade of experience working with professional athletes and coaches for British Athletics, the UK Sports Institute, and Team GB.
He is an NCTJ-accredited journalist with post-graduate degrees in Performance Analysis and Sports Journalism, enabling him to critically analyze and review the latest golf equipment and technology to help you make better-informed buying decisions.
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How much prize money is on offer at the 2025 Hero Dubai Desert Classic?
