The HotelPlanner Tour returns to the United Arab Emirates this week for the Abu Dhabi Challenge at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club, for the final event before the closing swing on the 2026 Road to Mallorca. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the highly anticipated week in the Middle East.
Back in the desert
The HotelPlanner Tour returns to Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club for a third time this week, having first visited the venue in 2024 when Englishman Garrick Porteous ran out victorious.
First openingin 2007, the club became the first grass course in Al Ain Region and is regarded as one of the UAE’s finest facilities. The Championship Course is littered with water hazards, with danger in play most notably on holes 16 and 17, which could prove decisive this week.
Elsewhere, the par five tenth – measuring 678 yards – is the longest hole in the United Arab Emirates. Despite its colossal length, the tenth could still be reachable for some of the field with yardages amplified in Al Ain’s warm climate.
Crunch time
Naturally, attention will be on those at the top of the Road to Mallorca Rankings as Christofer Blomstrand, MJ Daffue, Julien Sale and Pablo Ereno jostle for the Number One berth. There’s also those flirting with the promotion places, including Pedro Figueiredo, Marc Warren and MJ Viljoen, looking to position themselves ahead of the season-ending Grand Final at the end of October.
The Abu Dhabi Challenge also marks the first cut-off of the season, with the leading 68 players on the Rankings following this week’s event advancing through to back-to-back events in China, before the top 45 make it to Mallorca.
Belgian James Meyer de Beco currently holds the all-important 68th position, Saptak Talwar, Bradley Bawden, Joseba Torres and Mark Power all looking to move the right side of the dotted line. Frenchman Mathieu Decottignies-Lafon, currently in 63rd , is within touching distance of extending his season for the first time in his career.
Partnership
The Abu Dhabi Challenge continues the HotelPlanner Tour’s long-term partnership with the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF), providing playing opportunities for some of the nation’s best talent. 30 places in the field are allocated to the EGF, giving UAE-based players the opportunity to test themselves against an elite international line-up.
During last year’s edition, places were allocated to a mixture of National Team members, UAE-based professionals, club professionals and emerging regional talent. Those given the chance have taken advantage too, with Ahmed Skaik making history on home soil at the UAE Challenge, becoming the first Emirati amateur to make the cut at a European Tour Group sanctioned event.
At home
This week’s event in Al Ain Region will be a home affair for David Horsey and Adri Arnaus. Englishman Horsey’s ties with Dubai stretch back 15 years having used the Els Club as a regular practice facility, while Spaniard Arnaus has been a permanent resident for the past six years.
Both have good pedigree in the region, with Arnaus registering a top five finish during last year’s UAE Challenge whilst also tasting victory at the Ras Al Khaimah Challenge Tour Grand Final in 2018. Horsey heads into this week’s event having placed inside the top 20 at the same venue 12 months ago.
