Golfing year set for lift-off in Dubai and Riyadh

DP World Tour's Dubai Invitational and Hero Dubai Desert Classic and LIV Golf Riyadh begin a potentially thrilling year in the sport

• Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Ryan Fox, Connor Syme, Patrick Reed, Francesco Molinari, Danny Willett, David Puig, Nicolai Hojgaard and Tom McKibbin headline the second edition of the Dubai Invitational, a pro-am tournament at the Dubai Creek this week

• Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Reed, Tyrrell Hatton, Francesco Molinari, Ryan Fox, Nicolai Hojgaard, Victor Perez, Laurie Canter, Connor Syme, Adrian Meronk, David Puig, Dustin Johnson, Joaquin Niemann, Shane Lowry, Viktor Hovland, Luke Donald, Tom McKibbin and Danny Willett lead the lineup for the 37th edition of the Desert Classic, played at the Emirates Golf Club

• LIV Golf Riyadh to tee-off LIV Golf's most global calendar ever after winter of turbulence, progression and controversy

Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood have a great affinity with these next two weeks, and two years ago they went head to head in the inaugural Dubai Invitational, with Fleetwood narrowly coming out on top, before the Masters Champion claimed a fourth victory at the Emirates Golf Club the week later. This week both get their years underway at the Dubai Creek, and both arrive in Dubai in great form.

McIlroy lost in a playoff at November's DP World Tour Championship down the road at Jumeirah, before heading down under and recording a top 10 finish at Royal Melbourne in the Crown Australian Open. The 5-time Major winner, and now 7-time DP World Tour Number 1 is looking to back up his remarkable 2025 with more stellar golf in 2026.

The World Number 2 won the Amgen Irish Open in spectacular fashion at the K Club in September, before playing a starring role in Europe's epic Ryder Cup victory at Bethpage State Park, crowning a year in which he also won at Pebble Beach, TPC Sawgrass and Augusta National. McIlroy was voted as both BBC Sports Personality of the Year, and RTE Sports person of the year for 2025, and if it was possible he begins 2026 with his star shining brighter than ever before.

“I’m excited to be starting my year in Dubai,” said McIlroy. “The UAE is a place where I’ve enjoyed a lot of great weeks, and I’m sure this will be no different.

“Dubai Creek Resort was a fantastic host venue two years ago, and Abdulla and his team put on an incredible event. I came very close to winning that week, so I’m hoping 2026 will be another really good year for me - and to start strong in the Middle East would be the perfect way to get it under way.”

Rory McIlroy / credit: Matt Hooper

Fleetwood, meanwhile, has added two huge wins to his CV since the win at the Creek two years ago, with August's FedEx Cup triumph and October's DP World India Championship win part of a run which has taken him to world number three, just behind McIlroy and World Number 1, Scottie Scheffler.

Tommy now has 1 win on the PGA TOUR and 8 wins on the DP World Tour, allied to top-five finishes in all four majors, and he starts his year in Dubai looking for something special in 2026. The Englishman has been inside the world’s top 50 for almost nine years and now sits in his highest ever position, just behind runaway leader Scottie Scheffler and career Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy. And while the 2017 Race to Dubai champion knows there is much work to do to to get past them, he is aiming for the very top.

"I still look at it as big picture and try to be the best golfer I can be, and I think there's plenty of room for improvement still. No doubt last year was an amazing year for me and by the time the year was done, found myself like in a position in the game where I've never been before in terms of World Ranking and stuff like that, and the win on the PGA TOUR was huge.

There is a clear gap (to Scheffler and McIlroy), those two guys are definitely the best golfers in the world. I'm just one of the players in the pack behind that has some catching up to do there. Look at every aspect of my game, where I can improve, where I can pick the smallest amount of shots up to those guys.

But it's an amazing challenge, if you think of it like that. Starting the year in a different position than I've ever been, world No. 3, and I think that's very cool and very exciting to sort of have to think about trying to maintain the level that I've reached there.

I just think it's very, very cool and very special and I just love the fact that I am sort of in the mix and you've even asked me a question of those two guys are the best two in the world, what do you have to do to try and catch them, I think it's a massive compliment to me and I think it's something that's really, really exciting."

Tommy Fleetwood / credit: Matt Hooper

Fife's Connor Syme and Calum Hill will be looking to get their years off to a fine start, both are playing both Dubai events, and both won in 2026. Hill lifted the Joburg Open trophy in South Africa, and Syme claimed his maiden DP World Tour title at the KLM Open in the Netherlands. SHANK will have daily reports from both the Dubai Invitational and Hero Dubai Desert Classic, courtesy the DP World Tour, and updates each round from Connor Syme and Calum Hill's rounds as we dedicate even more coverage to our local golfers here in Fife.

Many member of LIV Golf are playing in Dubai over the next two weeks, including Patrick Reed, Tyrrell Hatton, Victor Perez, Laurie Canter, Adrian Meronk, David Puig, Dustin Johnson, Joaquin Niemann, and Tom McKibbin. The LIV Golf season gets underway in Riyadh in 3 week's time, and the Dubai Invitational and Hero Dubai Desert Classic are perfect unofficial pre-season events for them, and possibly opportunities to pick up valuable Official World Golf Ranking Points.

Once again the Saudi Arabian leg of the LIV Golf season will be played at Riyadh Golf Club, and under the floodlights, making it unique among golf tournaments worldwide.

The Middle East's influence on golf cannot help but be felt over these weeks, and whilst the PGA TOUR and USA continue to try and resist it, there can be no doubt now, with the weakness of the Hawaiian events and the American Express (formerly the Bob Hope Classic), the Middle East is big bang beginning to the golf season on a global scale.

SHANK, by Matt Hooper