Rory Fever is set to sweep the UAE once again. Fresh from his upcoming appearances in the DP World Tour Play-offs in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the Grand Slam champion has confirmed he will return to Emirates Golf Club for the 2026 Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
He’ll tee it up on the Majlis Course from January 22–25, chasing a record fifth Dallah Trophy. The milestone appearance will mark 20 years since he first played the ‘Major of the Middle East’ as a fresh-faced 16-year-old amateur.
That debut was the beginning of a love affair that has seen McIlroy become the most successful player in the tournament’s history – and Dubai golf’s most beloved adopted son.
A 16-year-old McIlroy makes his debut Desert Classic appearance as an amateur, walking the Majlis in competition for the very first time and only narrowly missing the cut.
At just 17 and still an amateur, Rory makes the cut at Emirates Golf Club – the first time he’d played the weekend in a professional event, offering an early glimpse of what was to come.
Still just 19, he claims his maiden professional title and first of many on the DP World Tour at the Desert Classic, edging Justin Rose to lift the Dallah Trophy.
By now a global star, McIlroy secures his second Desert Classic crown with a commanding performance.
The week was lit up by drama before a ball was struck, when McIlroy ignored Patrick Reed on the range and the American cheekily flicked a LIV Golf tee in his direction. The tension carried into the tournament, but Rory had the last word – rolling in a birdie on the 18th to edge Reed and claim his third Desert Classic title.
From ten behind at the halfway stage, McIlroy storms through the field to win a record fourth title – one of the greatest comebacks in Classic history.
Two decades after that teenage debut, Rory returns to Emirates Golf Club aiming for a fifth Dallah Trophy and another slice of history.
