Hero Dubai Desert Classic: Fantasy DP World Tour ones to watch

The International Swing continues this week as the Rolex Series returns to Emirates Golf Club.

World Number Two Rory McIlroy, a record four-time winner of the Dallah Trophy, is joined by several Ryder Cup team-mates, including fellow past winners Viktor Hovland and Rafa Cabrera Bello, while Tommy Fleetwood is flying high at a career-high third in the Official World Golf Ranking.

There are further Major champions on display with McIlroy joined by fellow Masters winners Danny Willett, Patrick Reed and Dustin Johnson and Open winners Shane Lowry, Francesco Molinari and Pádraig Harrington.

Out of the 126 players in the field, six are making their Rolex Series debut, including amateur duo Ethan Fang and Christiaan Maas.

Tyrrell Hatton of England is the defending champion and goes in search of a record sixth Rolex Series title.

From insight into the week’s most-picked players among Fantasy managers, to our ones to watch, we run the rule ahead of Thursday’s deadline to pick your team.

Who are the most picked players?

McIlroy may be the favourite with the bookies and this author but it seems you guys disagree, with his Ryder Cup team-mate Hatton the most-picked player in the early stages of selections, featuring in 74% of teams.

McIlroy follows at 65% before a big drop to another Ryder Cup hero in Shane Lowry on 49%.

Fleetwood is then on 38%, ahead of 2022 Dallah Trophy winner Viktor Hovland who rounds out the top five on 31%.

Who are our ones to watch?

Favourite - Rory McIlroy

Sorry to sound like a broken record here, folks, but overwhelming sways of public and expert opinion are overwhelming sways of public and expert opinion - plus the bookmakers are rarely wrong. Our favourite this week is the Grand Slam winning Northern Irishman and there are few other weeks where his favouritism will be quite so weighted. This year is the 20th anniversary of McIlroy's debut in the event and while he finished outside the top 50 in his first three visits, since his maiden win in 2009, he has never been outside the top ten in another 11 starts. A seven-time winner in Dubai, four of those wins have come in this event where he has won nearly five million euros and is a combined 175 under par. That's before you factor in World Number Two, reigning Masters champion and reigning seven-time Harry Vardon Trophy winner - where else could we go?

Form Horse - Daniel Hillier

Had a precious few shots gone differently over the course of last season's DP World Tour Play-Offs, the Kiwi would now be a dual member with the PGA TOUR and he has started the new season like a man determined to achieve that goal this year. Since finishing fifth and 16th in the closing events of the last campaign to end the season 18th on the Race to Dubai, he was fifth and sixth across the Australian double-header before being runner-up last week. That was his second second-place in Dubai - after this event last year - and third top five in his last five starts in the UAE. Seemingly comfortable in both his surroundings and his game, this could be the week the 2023 British Masters winner takes his career to the next level.

Wild Card - Shaun Norris

It says a lot about the quality of the field this week that a player of Norris' calibre can be dubbed a Wild Card. The South African is a truly international star, with his 14 professional wins having come across the DP World, Sunshine, Japan and Asian Tours and he recently edged himself back into the top 100 on the Official World Golf Ranking. That ascent has come courtesy of finishing fifth at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in honour of Gary Player, a play-off loss at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and a top 20 last week. Last season he finished in the top ten at this event and he appears to be getting to grips with the Majlis Course, with six of his last eight rounds being under par.

What can I win?

Sign up and now be in with a chance of winning some great rewards!

The Ultimate Prize

Finish the 2026 Race to Dubai with the highest total Fantasy score and you’ll take home an incredible top-tier prize package:

1st

•  Two Ticket+ tickets to one DP World Tour event in 2027, valid for each day of competition. Both tickets must be used at the same tournament, chosen from the following: British Masters, BMW PGA Championship, Genesis Scottish Open, Irish Open, or Open de France.

•  £500 flight voucher, redeemable in line with the issuing airline/provider’s terms and conditions.

•  £500 accommodation voucher, redeemable with the respective accommodation provider’s terms and conditions.

2nd

•  £300 DP World Tour Store voucher (subject to applicable terms and conditions).

•  Two General Admission tickets (valid for each competition day) to one 2027 DP World Tour event of the winner’s choice from: British Masters, BMW PGA Championship, Genesis Scottish Open, Irish Open, or Open de France.

3rd

•  £150 DP World Tour Store voucher (subject to applicable terms and conditions).

•  Two General Admission tickets (valid for each competition day) to one 2027 DP World Tour event of the winner’s choice from: British Masters, BMW PGA Championship, Genesis Scottish Open, Horizon Irish Open, or Open de France.

This year also introduces two brand-new Boosters: Triple Captain and Bench Boost, giving you even more ways to outscore the competition and climb the global leaderboard.

Alongside the season-long chase for the Ultimate Prize, players will also be able to win rewards throughout the year with prizes available for each Global Swing and Phase of the Race to Dubai.

The International Swing - the second of five global swings on the 2026 Race to Dubai, kicks off this week and there's plenty on the line for our players, including Ranking Points and exemptions into the Back 9 later this year. There's also plenty to play for in Fantasy DP World Tour. The top three players who score the most points throughout the International Swing will win incredible prizes including Season Tickets and DP World Tour Store vouchers.

Looking back - Dubai Invitational

Nacho Elvira proved an incredibly shrewd pick last week as despite his winning pedigree and excellent consistency, his victory handed 200 points to just 385 players (1.58%), with only 43 selecting him as captain.

Our Favourite McIlroy threatened to give us two events in a row where this column picked a winner when he made five birdies in a row on the back nine but had to settle for a share of third, while Form Horse Jayden Schaper was in a tie for 20th and Wild Card Francesco Molinari finished 19 shots behind the winner.

Season so far - 2026 DP World Tour Fantasy Top 10 player rankings