With the 2025 golfing calendar in full swing, now is not exactly the time to pause for reflection, but the structure of the DP World Tour’s season does afford the briefest of opportunities for a momentary thought.
This is the second consecutive year that we have begun the Race to Dubai, our season-long competition, with five Global Swings – the Opening Swing, International Swing, Asian Swing, European Swing and Closing Swing – which enable us to celebrate and showcase the rich diversity of the courses, cities and cultures we visit.
As we approach the end of the International Swing, our team in the Middle East is currently reviewing the success of the four consecutive Race to Dubai tournaments that took place in the Middle East immediately following the Team Cup which itself took place at Abu Dhabi Golf Club at the start of January.
It has become customary for the DP World Tour to start the calendar year in this region and we are committed to working with our partners to ensure we continue to enhance the fan experience each year.
Whether it is using the latest technologies to enable fans to track their favourite players at the venue, or introducing an elevated on-site experience targeting different audiences, such as a family day or community day, we try to ensure what we offer at our events appeals to both new and existing fans.
While each of our events has its own identity and its own unique spectator offerings, our aim at each one is to ensure that we provide the best possible experience, whether you are attending in person, or watching at home via our global broadcast or social media.
Fan Experience
Of course, our players are a vital component of that through the action and drama they provide inside the ropes and across the four Middle East events, we were treated to some superb golf.
Two of the victorious Great Britain & Ireland players from the Team Cup continued their impressive form from that match play event in the subsequent weeks, with Tyrrell Hatton winning the Hero Dubai Desert Classic – his record equalling fifth Rolex Series title – and Laurie Canter securing his second DP World Tour title at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship.
In between those two events, Spaniard Alejandro del Ray claimed his breakthrough DP World Tour victory at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, going bogey free across the weekend to win by four shots.
Then China’s Haotong Li drained a 15ft birdie putt on the final hole at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters to capture his fourth DP World Tour title in dramatic fashion. It was also his second victory here in the Middle East for the Dubai resident, having previously won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in 2018.
Making The UAE A Home
Haotong is among a growing number of our members who now call the UAE home, with several players relocating to Dubai and Abu Dhabi in recent years to take advantage of the fantastic courses, practice facilities, weather and transport links we have here.
Paul Waring, who won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship – the first of our DP World Tour Play-Offs in 2024 – is another and I think it is a trend we will continue to see.
After featuring in the Team Cup, as well as the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and Ras Al Khaimah Championship, Paul has also been competing on the PGA TOUR at the start of 2025 after earning dual membership via our Race to Dubai rankings.
While Paul is in the early stages of adapting to life on the PGA TOUR, it has been an impressive start to the season in America for some of our more established European dual members.
Looking Strong For Ryder Cup
That included four victories in five weeks, with Sepp Straka, Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Åberg and Thomas Detry all triumphant on the PGA TOUR in what must have been particularly satisfying Sunday viewing for European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald.
With the Masters Tournament, the first Major Championship of 2025, just around the corner, hopefully our members can continue this form and contend for the Green Jacket at the start of April.
We will be keeping a close eye on events at Augusta National, but for us here in the Middle East, that week also marks the start of two consecutive tournaments in the UAE on our HotelPlanner Tour.
HotelPlanner Tour Back In Action
The UAE Challenge at Al Zorah Golf Club in Ajman and the Abu Dhabi Challenge at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club, will give fans in the region the opportunity to see some of the stars of the future.
Those events also provide important playing opportunities for UAE players through our partnership with Emirates Golf Federation.
While our core purpose as a Tour is to stage professional golf tournaments, we are also committed to youth development and our partnership with EGF aims to encourage grassroots golf in the region with a defined pathway to elite professional competition.
Ultimately, we hope this will lead to the emergence of more talent from this region in the years ahead, with the aim that some may go on to compete in our Middle East events on the DP World Tour alongside our global stars.
