Hero Dubai Desert Classic 2026 Adds Five Leading Golfers To Elite Field At Emirates Golf Club

The 2026 Hero Dubai Desert Classic is set to draw a deeper field at Emirates Golf Club from 22nd to 25th January, as five more leading international golfers confirm their participation in the first Rolex Series event of the new Race to Dubai season, strengthening one of the DP World Tour’s key early‑year tournaments.

Rolex Series champion Ryan Fox, Major winner Pádraig Harrington, Ryder Cup player Nicolai Højgaard and DP World Tour winners Tom McKibbin and Joaquín Niemann will join a field that already includes defending champion Tyrrell Hatton, along with Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry and Dustin Johnson.

Fox arrives in Dubai after an impressive 2025 campaign on the PGA Tour, where Fox claimed the Myrtle Beach Classic and the RBC Canadian Open. The New Zealander, who has four DP World Tour victories, will be making a 10th appearance on the Majlis Course, underlining a long‑running connection with the event.

Harrington, a two‑time Open Champion and previous PGA Championship winner, returns to the Hero Dubai Desert Classic following a 2025 season that brought two senior Major titles. The former Ryder Cup captain has featured regularly in Dubai for more than thirty years, highlighting the tournament’s long history of attracting leading international players.

Højgaard, part of Europe’s winning Ryder Cup team in 2023, has already built a strong record in the UAE, with victories at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai and the Ras Al Khaimah Championship in 2022. The Danish golfer will aim to extend that success at one of the Tour’s highest‑profile Rolex Series events.

McKibbin secured the Porsche European Open during a debut DP World Tour season and then recorded a tied‑sixth finish at the 2025 Hero Dubai Desert Classic. Niemann returns after a strong first appearance in 2024, when Niemann finished tied fourth, adding further depth and recent course form to the 2026 line‑up.

Executive Tournament Director Simon Corkill said the enlarged group of leading names reinforces the event’s international profile, noting that the blend of established champions and emerging players should create a competitive week on the Majlis Course and underline the status of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic within the broader Race to Dubai schedule.

Beyond the main competition, the 2026 Hero Dubai Desert Classic will again feature Tournament Town, which will include live entertainment, family‑focused activities and a range of dining choices. The 2026 edition introduces an expanded Family Zone and launches Eat Street, where visitors can sample a mix of regional and international food concepts throughout the four‑day event.

Organisers confirmed that standard entry will be free on Thursday and Friday, while weekend admission will start from AED100 when booked in advance. Premium hospitality will be available through The Social on Sixteen and the Dallah Lounge, offering upgraded viewing and services overlooking key holes on the Majlis Course for corporate guests and spectators.

The combination of a strengthened playing field, enhanced spectator zones and tiered ticketing is set to make the 2026 Hero Dubai Desert Classic a central fixture in the early 2026 golf calendar, giving fans, sponsors and partners a broad range of on‑course and off‑course options across the four days at Emirates Golf Club.

With inputs from WAM