Dubai Desert Classic
The Dubai Desert Classic is a European Tour golf tournament held on Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In 1999 and 2000 it was held at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, all other editions have been held at Emirates Golf Club.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Established | 1989 |
| Course(s) | Emirates Golf Club |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,428 yards (6,792 m) |
| Tour(s) | European Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | US$9,000,000 |
| Month played | January |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 264 Bryson DeChambeau |
| To par | −24 as above |
| Current champion | |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Rory McIlroy | |
| Location Map | |
  Emirates GC Location in the United Arab Emirates | |
History
When founded in 1989, it was the first European Tour event to be staged in the Arabian Peninsula, but is currently one of six.[1]
The tournament is part of a wider strategy, via a government program called "Dubai Golf", to develop both professional and casual golf tourism in Dubai. It has historically had one of the strongest fields on the European Tour due to "promotional" money paid to top golfers.[2]
The 1995 edition is notable for being the first live event broadcast on the Golf Channel, an American pay-television network.[3]
In September 2021, it was announced that the event would gain a new title sponsor, Slync.io, in 2022.[4] The event was also added to the Rolex Series, with an increased prize fund of US$8,000,000.[5] The deal was terminated in September 2022.[6]
In January 2023, it was confirmed that Hero MotoCorp would become the new title sponsor of the event, beginning in 2023.[7]
Winners
| European Tour (Rolex Series) | 2022– | |
| European Tour (Regular) | 1989–2021 |
| # | Year | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | Purse (US$) | Winner's share ($) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hero Dubai Desert Classic | |||||||||
| 34th | 2023 | Rory McIlroy (3) | 269 | −19 | 1 stroke |  Patrick Reed | 9,000,000 | 1,530,000 | |
| Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic | |||||||||
| 33rd | 2022 |  Viktor Hovland | 276 | −12 | Playoff |  Richard Bland | 8,000,000 | 1,333,330 | |
| Omega Dubai Desert Classic | |||||||||
| 32nd | 2021 | Paul Casey | 271 | −17 | 4 strokes |  Brandon Stone | 3,250,000 | 528,514 | |
| 31st | 2020 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Lucas Herbert | 279 | −9 | Playoff | Christiaan Bezuidenhout | 3,250,000 | 541,660 | |
| 30th | 2019 | Bryson DeChambeau | 264 | −24 | 7 strokes | Matt Wallace | 3,250,000 | 541,660 | |
| 29th | 2018 |  Li Haotong | 265 | −23 | 1 stroke | Rory McIlroy | 3,000,000 | 500,100 | |
| 28th | 2017 |  Sergio García | 269 | −19 | 3 strokes |  Henrik Stenson | 2,650,000 | 441,755 | |
| 27th | 2016 | Danny Willett | 269 | −19 | 1 stroke | Rafa Cabrera-Bello Andy Sullivan | 2,650,000 | 441,755 | |
| 26th | 2015 | Rory McIlroy (2) | 266 | −22 | 3 strokes | Alex Norén | 2,650,000 | 441,755 | |
| 25th | 2014 |  Stephen Gallacher (2) | 272 | −16 | 1 stroke |  Emiliano Grillo | 2,500,000 | 416,750 | |
| 24th | 2013 | Stephen Gallacher | 266 | −22 | 3 strokes | Richard Sterne | 2,500,000 | 416,750 | |
| 23rd | 2012 | Rafa Cabrera-Bello | 270 | −18 | 1 stroke | Stephen Gallacher Lee Westwood | 2,500,000 | 416,750 | |
| 22nd | 2011 | Álvaro Quirós | 277 | −11 | 1 stroke |  Anders Hansen James Kingston | 2,500,000 | 416,750 | |
| 21st | 2010 | Miguel Ángel Jiménez | 277 | −11 | Playoff | Lee Westwood | 2,500,000 | 416,750 | |
| Dubai Desert Classic | |||||||||
| 20th | 2009 | Rory McIlroy | 269 | −19 | 1 stroke | Justin Rose | 2,500,000 | 416,750 | |
| 19th | 2008 | Tiger Woods (2) | 274 | −14 | 1 stroke |  Martin Kaymer | 2,500,000 | 416,750 | |
| 18th | 2007 | Henrik Stenson | 269 | −19 | 1 stroke | Ernie Els | 2,400,000 | 309,862 | |
| 17th | 2006 | Tiger Woods | 269 | −19 | Playoff | Ernie Els | 2,400,000 | 309,862 | |
| 16th | 2005 | Ernie Els (3) | 269 | −19 | 1 stroke |  Stephen Dodd Miguel Ángel Jiménez | 2,200,000 | 366,667 | |
| 15th | 2004 | Mark O'Meara | 271 | −17 | 1 stroke |  Paul McGinley | 2,000,000 | 333,333 | |
| 14th | 2003 |  Robert-Jan Derksen | 271 | −17 | 1 stroke | Ernie Els | 2,000,000 | 333,333 | |
| 13th | 2002 | Ernie Els (2) | 272 | −16 | 4 strokes | Niclas Fasth | 1,500,000 | 250,000 | |
| 12th | 2001 | Thomas Bjørn | 266 | −22 | 2 strokes | Pádraig Harrington Tiger Woods | 1,500,000 | 250,000 | |
| 11th | 2000 | José Cóceres | 274 | −14 | 2 strokes | Paul McGinley Patrik Sjöland | 1,300,000 | 216,667 | |
| 10th | 1999 | David Howell | 275 | −13 | 4 strokes | Lee Westwood | 1,300,000 | 216,667 | |
| 9th | 1998 | José María Olazábal | 269 | −19 | 3 strokes | Stephen Allan | 1,300,000 | 216,667 | |
| 8th | 1997 | Richard Green | 272 | −16 | Playoff | Greg Norman Ian Woosnam | 1,200,000 | 200,000 | |
| 7th | 1996 | Colin Montgomerie | 270 | −18 | 1 stroke | Miguel Ángel Jiménez | 1,000,000 | 166,667 | |
| 6th | 1995 | Fred Couples | 268 | −20 | 3 strokes | Colin Montgomerie | 700,000 | 116,667 | |
| 5th | 1994 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Ernie Els | 268 | −20 | 6 strokes | Greg Norman | 700,000 | 116,667 | |
| 4th | 1993 | Wayne Westner | 274 | −14 | 2 strokes | Retief Goosen | 500,000 | 83,333 | |
| 3rd | 1992 | Seve Ballesteros | 272 | −16 | Playoff | Ronan Rafferty | 650,000 | 108,333 | |
| – | 1991 | Cancelled due to the Gulf War[8] | |||||||
| Emirates Airlines Desert Classic | |||||||||
| 2nd | 1990 | Eamonn Darcy | 276 | −12 | 4 strokes | David Feherty | 450,000 | 75,000 | |
| Karl Litten Desert Classic | |||||||||
| 1st | 1989 | Mark James | 277 | −11 | Playoff | Peter O'Malley | 450,000 | 75,000 | |
References
- "European Tour - Dubai Desert Classic - History". PGA European Tour. 31 December 2018.
- "Dubai Golf History". Dubai Golf. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
- "1/17/1995: By a ceremonial flip of a switch, The Golf Channel launches by Co-Founders Arnold Palmer & Joe Gibbs". Golf History Today. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
- Jeans, David (20 July 2022). "Golf Tournaments, A Private Jet And A Red Ferrari: A Tech CEO Lived Large While His Employees Went Unpaid". Forbes. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- "Slync.io becomes new title sponsor of the Dubai Desert Classic". European Tour. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
- Murray, Ewan (12 September 2022). "Dubai Desert Classic loses sponsor amid Chris Kirchner fallout". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- "Hero MotoCorp to become Title Partner of the Dubai Desert Classic". MENA FN. 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- "Sport in brief | Golf". The Guardian. London, England. 16 January 1991. p. 16. Retrieved 25 April 2020 – via Newspapers.com.