The Hero Dubai Desert Classic – the first of five Rolex Series events on the DP World Tour in 2024 – got under way today, with 101 of the 126-strong field former Challenge Tour players.
Tommy Fleetwood produced a stunning birdie-birdie finish to win the Dubai Invitational last weekend by one stroke, and he’s one of 12 former Challenge Tour Number One’s set to tee it up. Fleetwood triumphed back in 2011 where he became the youngest winner of the Rankings in the Tour’s history.
Marco Penge is another to have topped the season-long Road to Mallorca Rankings having done so in 2023 to earn a first promotion to the DP World Tour. He’s joined in the Dubai showpiece by 11 of his fellow graduates from the class of 23, including four-time DP World Tour winner and the youngest winner in DP World Tour history, Matteo Manassero, highly-rated 20-year-old South African Casey Jarvis, and seven-time Challenge Tour winner Ricardo Gouveia.
Daniel Hillier, Matthew Baldwin, Tom McKibbin and Todd Clements are the most recent graduates to have won on the DP World Tour with the quartet from the class of 22 all triumphing last year. A win in Dubai for either would represent the biggest win of their career to date.
Four-time DP World Tour winner, Adrian Meronk, graduated back in 2019 and arrives at Emirates Golf Club off the back of two top ten finishes in his last two outings, and three wins in the last 12 months. Jordan Smith, who won the Rankings in 2016, also comes into the week in fine form following a fourth place finish last week.
Englishman Callum Shinkwin is another set to fly the Challenge Tour flag. He has previous at Emirates Golf Club too, finishing fourth in this event 12 months ago following rounds of 71-66-67-69 to reach 15 under par for the week, four behind eventual winner Rory McIlroy.
Six-time DP World Tour winner and Ryder Cup star, Tyrrell Hatton, currently has four Rolex Series titles to his name, with the 2013 graduate looking to add to that list having picked up his last in 2021 in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
