Ahead of the opening Rolex Series event of the season, we take a whistle-stop look at some of the players in the world-class field at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Major champions
| Player | Age | Country | Major wins | DP World Tour wins | Best finish at Hero Dubai Desert Classic | Did you know? |
|---|
| Rory McIlroy | 36 | Northern Ireland | 5 | 20 | First (2009, 2015, 2023, 2024) | This marks 20 years since his first appearance in the tournament as an amateur back in 2006 |
| Shane Lowry | 38 | Ireland | 1 | 6 | T11 (2020) | Making his tenth Hero Dubai Desert Classic appearance, and his first since 2023 |
| Danny Willett | 38 | England | 1 | 8 | First (2016) | His victory at this event a decade ago, preceded his memorable Major breakthrough a couple of months later at the Masters |
| Francesco Molinari | 43 | Italy | 1 | 6 | T13 (2014) | Italy’s first male Major champion is a Rolex Series winner, having won the BMW PGA Championship in 2018 - the same year he won The Open |
| Pádraig Harrington | 54 | Ireland | 3 | 15 | T2 (2001) | Has been coming to Emirates Golf Club since 1997, with this his 14th Hero Dubai Desert Classic |
| Patrick Reed | 35 | United States | 1 | 3 | Second (2023) | Pushed Rory McIlroy close in a tense final-day battle on his debut in 2023 |
| Dustin Johnson | 41 | United States | 2 | 9 | Debut | The former World Number One, who spent 135 weeks at the top of the rankings, has represented the United States at five Ryder Cups between 2010 and 2021 |
Race to Dubai winners
| Player | Age | Country | Race to Dubai titles | Best finish at Hero Dubai Desert Classic | Did you know? |
|---|
| Tommy Fleetwood | 35 | England | 1 (2017) | T6 (2018) | Became the second Englishman, after Justin Rose, to win the Tour Championship - his breakthrough PGA TOUR title |
| Luke Donald | 48 | England | 1 (2011) | T66 (2024) | One of just two European Ryder Cup Captains to win both home and away, alongside Tony Jacklin |
*McIlroy, Molinari and Harrington have also won the Race to Dubai
Past Hero Dubai Desert Classic champions
| Player | Age | Country | Year(s) | Did you know? |
|---|
| Tyrrell Hatton | 34 | England | 2025 | Moved alongside Jon Rahm with a record-equalling fifth Rolex Series title as he celebrated a milestone 200th start on the DP World Tour with victory last year |
| Viktor Hovland | 28 | Norway | 2022 | Trailed by six shots heading into the final round in 2022, before beating Richard Bland in a play-off |
| Rafa Cabrera Bello | 41 | Spain | 2012 | Reached his career-high 16th in the Official World Golf Ranking after a top-five finish at The Open in 2017 |
*McIlroy and Willett are also past winners
World Number Ones
| Player | Age | Country |
|---|
| Rory McIlroy | 36 | Northern Ireland |
| Dustin Johnson | 41 | United States |
| Luke Donald | 48 | England |
Ryder Cup players
| Player | Team | Best finish at Hero Dubai Desert Classic | Did you know? |
|---|
| Ross Fisher | Europe | Fifth (2007) | This week marks a milestone 500th start on the DP World Tour |
| Nicolai Højgaard | Europe | T7 (2024) | Won his maiden DP World Tour title in the 2021 Italian Open at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, where he made his Ryder Cup debut in 2023 |
| Thorbjørn Olesen | Europe | T3 (2013) | Helped Denmark win the World Cup of Golf in 2016, while he has represented his country at two Olympic Games |
| Andy Sullivan | Europe | T2 (2016) | Has finished in the top 100 on the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World in every season since regaining his card at Q-School in 2012 |
| Bernd Wiesberger | Europe | T4 (2015) | He became the first Austrian to have played in the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in 2021 |
*Cabrera Bello, Donald, Fleetwood, Harrington, Hovland, Lowry, McIlroy, Molinari, Willett have also represented Europe. Reed and Johnston have played for the United States
Rolex Series debutants
| Player | Age | Country | Did you know? |
|---|
| Wenyi Ding | 21 | China | Topped the inaugural Global Amateur Pathway Ranking in 2024, before claiming two top tens in his rookie DP World Tour season last year |
| David Puig | 24 | Spain | Followed in the footsteps of European golf great Seve Ballesteros as he became the second Spanish winner of the BMW Australian PGA Championship |
| Michael Hollick | 38 | South Africa | Qualified for The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale through his finish at the Crown Australian Open in December |
| Ethan Fang (AM) | 20 | United States | Won The Amateur Championship at Royal St George's last summer, before helping his country to victory at the Walker Cup |
| Christiaan Maas (AM) | 22 | South Africa | Currently a senior at the University of Texas, he is in the running to earn a PGA TOUR card via the PGA TOUR University |
Winners from 2026 Race to Dubai season so far
| Player | Age | Country | Best finish at Hero Dubai Desert Classic | Did you know? |
|---|
| Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen | 26 | Denmark | T10 (2015) | Won three titles on the HotelPlanner Tour to earn automatic promotion to the DP World Tour in 2024 |
| Jayden Schaper | 24 | South Africa | T21 (2025) | A two-time winner of the Sunshine Tour's Rookie of the Year, he won back-to-back titles on the DP World Tour via play-offs during this season's Opening Swing |
| Nacho Elvira | 38 | Spain | T11 (2017) | His brother, Manuel, is a fellow DP World Tour professional |
*Puig, a Rolex Series debutant this week, won the BMW Australian PGA Championship in November
To view the entry list in full, click here.
