Hero Dubai Desert Classic

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
Rory McIlroy
Location Map
Emirates GC Location in the United Arab Emirates

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.

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

#	Year	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Purse (US$)	Winner's share ($)
Hero Dubai Desert Classic
35th	2024	Rory McIlroy (4)	274	−14	1 stroke	Adrian Meronk	9,000,000	1,530,000
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	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	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