RAS AL KHAIMAH, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES | Pádraig Harrington’s first trip to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates was in 1997 when he traveled to play his first Dubai Desert Classic.
“It felt like we had to take this 12-lane highway and drive a long, long way out of the city just to get to the Emirates Golf Club back then,” said Harrington, an Irishman and three-time major champion. “I was a bit skeptical about the whole thing. Who builds a golf course in the middle of the desert, way out of the city? I wondered if the course would survive.”
More than a quarter century of frenetic economic activity later, Emirates Golf Club has become the nucleus of what is now called the “New Dubai,” surrounded by massive skyscrapers and sprawling residential and commercial communities that house more than half of the city’s 3.4 million population.
And, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the UAE, and the Middle East, has become the beating heart of the DP World Tour.
Last week’s Ras Al Khaimah Championship, won decisively by Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen, was the third DP World Tour event in three weeks played within a radius of 120 kilometers (about 75 miles). The Dubai Invitational at Dubai Creek started the new year for the tour, followed by the $9 million Hero Dubai Desert Classic, the first of five Rolex Series events of the year, at Emirates Golf Club.
The tour travels west along the Persian Gulf to Bahrain this week for golf’s return to the kingdom with the Bahrain Championship, and then moves to nearby Qatar for the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
In November, all eyes will be on the UAE again as it hosts back-to-back Rolex Series playoff tournaments – the rescheduled $9 million Abu Dhabi Championship for top 60 players on the Race to Dubai, and the season-finale $10 million DP World Tour Championship for the top 50.
“If I had the slightest inkling what Dubai was going to do in the future, I would have bought up all those apartments.”
PÁdraig Harrington
And let’s not forget the influence of UAE’s neighbor Saudi Arabia in all of this. It has emerged as the greatest disruptor in the history of the game with LIV Golf. There will be arguments and counter-arguments about the Saudis’ ambitions, but what cannot be disputed is that golf has never enjoyed mainstream consciousness as it has during the past couple of years.
The Middle East now contributes a total purse of $38 million to the DP World schedule. That number increases to $79 million if you count LIV Golf Jeddah ($25 million), the two Saudi Invitationals ($5 million each) and the Asian and Ladies European Tour tournaments.
That’s uber impressive, especially considering that Emirates Golf Club, the first green golf course in the region, was built in 1988 and the first DP World Tour event was held in March 1989 – two months before current world No. 2 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland was born.
Harrington often displays expressive eyes when talking, but his emotion is magnified when asked about the growth of golf in the Middle East.
“If I had the slightest inkling what Dubai was going to do in the future, I would have bought up all those apartments,” said Harrington, a qualified chartered accountant. “I’d say it is extremely visionary by the UAE, and all the other Middle East countries are following their model.”
In 1989, Dubai decided to invite some of the finest European players to the new Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club. They joined hands with the European Tour, with Ken Schofield at the helm back then, and the Karl Litten Cup (named after the golf course’s American designer) was instituted. The tournament later was renamed the Dubai Desert Classic. It also was the start of one of the finest examples of symbiotic relationships in the sport.
Two of the tour’s biggest sponsors – DP World, a logistics company which has the naming rights after signing an umbrella sponsorship in 2021, and Emirates, which has been the official airline and partner for more than two decades – are based in Dubai. The European Tour Group, which has its headquarters in Wentworth, England, set up a Middle East office here more than a decade ago.
“When I took over, we had a staff of just seven people,” said Tom Phillips, head of Middle East, who joined the DP World Tour in 2019. “We now have 25 people in our Dubai office. I think that is the best number I can give regarding the importance of this region.
“The number of tournaments keeps on growing. We have the Bahrain Championship back on schedule this year, and we now have two Challenge Tour events in the UAE (in April). Our team also helps the headquarters with the Asian Swing tournaments.
“But it’s not just executing these events. A big responsibility we have is servicing our sponsors and liaising with the various authorities and federations. We have the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, who are a big reason we have a tournament this week, or the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, who have been fantastic supporters of DP World Tour since the inaugural Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in 2006. Bahrain’s King Hamad (bin Isa Al Khalifa) is a passionate golfer himself, and Bahrain Tourism is very invested in the championship.”
“You can see how many DP World Tour players have either taken residence here or made it their winter base. With so many tournaments, plus the convenience of travel, it makes perfect sense.”
Rory McIlroy
Phillips believes the hosting of the inaugural Dubai Desert Classic will always be remembered as a pivotal moment in the evolution of the DP World Tour.
“Ours is a truly global tour today, visiting six continents and 26 countries, and it all started because the Desert Classic has been so successful,” he said.
McIlroy, who made Dubai his home for nearly four years early in his career and usually starts his season in the UAE, said there was another massive contribution made by the country to the DP World Tour.
“There are not many places where you can play golf at this time of the year, but you have some fantastic golf courses and weather in the UAE. I lived for many years here and absolutely enjoyed my time and also how it helped shake off my rust and prepare for the season,” said McIlroy, who became the most successful player in the history of the Dubai Desert Classic with his fourth win earlier this month.
Harrington agrees.
“Clearly, we needed the golf tournaments, and this whole region has been phenomenal,” he said. “Every course we go to is presented in fantastic condition.
“I always see the difference between here and Ireland. Everybody comes to Ireland, and if they play well, they have a great week. If they don’t, they have an even better week away from the golf course. Whereas in the Middle East, if you don’t play well and miss the cut, you start working hard in the gym and on the practice range. It’s kind of the Irish version of busman’s holiday here.”
The region also supports the Asian Tour, which has received financial backing from LIV Golf. This year, the tour will stop in Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
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