After the unexpected grind that unfolded across the windswept fairways of Dubai Creek Resort last week – one culminating in one of the most up-and-down finishes we’ll probably see all season – the International Swing continues its opening foray in the desert by moving half an hour down the road to the storied surroundings of the Emirates Golf Club.
Generally considered as the “Major of the Middle East”, there’s always something reassuringly familiar about the Dubai Desert Classic. The timing of it. The course. The weather. The trophy. It’s one of the European Tour’s great marquee events, up there with the likes of the BMW PGA at Wentworth, with a list of former champions that reads like a who’s who of golfing greats.
The first 18-hole, all-grass course to open in the Middle East, doing so all the way back in 1988, the Emirates offers a true test for any golfer’s game. You can point to the length of it, yes – coming in at 7,301 yards from the tips, it’s not exactly short – but it’s how the course is actually set up that makes it such a challenge. Narrow, tight fairways. Challenging rough. Daunting water hazards. Large, gaping bunkers. Sprawling, grainy greens that can get lightning quick if allowed. And given that it’s Dubai, there’s always the ever-present threat of the wind getting up – and when that happens, be it the north-westerly Shamal or those daily sea breezes blowing in off the Persian Gulf, they quickly make anything under par feel like a birdie-strewn 66.
Therefore, when you factor that all together in an effort to get a feel for the kind of golfer that tends to do well around the Emirates, whilst the predominant theme amongst the past winners would indicate that being long off-the-tee – like it is in most tournaments – is a significant advantage (McIlroy, Hovland, DeChambeau, Li), when you see Tyrrell Hatton triumphing last year, who whilst not exactly short with the big stick (23rd in Driving Distance with LIV in 2025), you can tell that being strong with the irons in hand and nifty on the greens will see the Majlis Course reward you just as equally as the big hitters.
So, whilst distance is, undoubtedly, a boon to your chances around the Emirates, if the majority of your looks at the pins are coming from the fairway, and you get your eye in early on the greens? Then, if you pair that with an ability to grind out a score should the winds pick up and really see the course bear its teeth, you’ll have a very good chance to add your name to that illustrious list of champions come Sunday.
ORACLES’ FOURBALL
DANIEL HILLIER
Having seen enough come the end of Saturday’s play that he would be one to watch this week, Daniel Hillier’s performance on Sunday at Dubai Creek was just further proof that he could well be in for another big performance at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Coming up just short in the same event last year, Daniel went into that final round a shot clear of the eventual winner, Tyrrell Hatton. And, truthfully, it looked as though the nerves got the better of him on the day. But that’s what experience is all about. You learn from it. And given the run of form that the 27-year-old New Zealander has been on since last November, that ever-growing experience is now being joined by quiet confidence.
5T at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. 16T at the DP World Tour Championship. 5T at the BMW Australian PGA Championship. 6T at the Crown Australian Open. And now a solo second at the Dubai Invitational. It’s a mightily impressive string of finishes, yes. But, most notably, it’s a string of good finishes on really tough courses.
Therefore, when we factor in just how well Hillier played last week without putting particularly well across the first three rounds, I think he’s someone we have to consider to do well at the Emirates. His work with the driver was outstanding. Accuracy-wise? He ranked 7th on that incredibly windy Friday, 1st on Saturday, and then 14th on Sunday – and all of that whilst being one of the longest hitters in the field all week (ranking 6th in Driving Distance on Friday and 1st on Sunday). With the irons in hand is where we really saw Hillier shine at Dubai Creek, however. Ranking 4th, 6th, 5th, and 12th across the four days in GIR%, those kinds of numbers betray a lethal level of both consistency and confidence in Daniel’s game right now. And should he bring similar numbers to the Emirates? With a driver that is clearly cooperating as well? If he can just keep his putter as hot as it was on Sunday, Daniel could well get another shot at landing the Dallah Trophy to go alongside his win at the British Masters back in 2023.
RORY MCILORY
I know. Thinking the guy who’s won the tournament four times has a good chance of doing well? Not exactly groundbreaking analysis.
But when you look at the full extent of Rory’s record around the Emirates, it’s so mindblowingly good that to ignore it would just be downright foolish. Since his first appearance in 2006 (when he was still only 16 years old), McIlroy has played in the Dubai Desert Classic fifteen times. And in those fifteen appearances, he’s missed the cut twice – ‘06 & ‘08, which we can ignore given that he was, you know, a child. He finished in a tie for 52nd in ‘07 – when, again, he was still just about old enough to drive. And in the remaining twelve showings? He’s never been outside the top-10. As in, NEVER.
As I mentioned, he has the four wins (‘09, ‘15, ‘23 & ‘24). But even in the five appearances alone that he’s made since 2018, Rory has notched a solo second (‘18), a solo third (‘22), those back-to-back wins (‘23 & ‘24), and then a tie for fourth last year. It’s an astounding record. I mean, people speak about the affinity that McIlroy has with Quail Hollow, given the four wins and one missed cut in thirteen starts that he has there. But if we’re taking that as the standard? Then, going on what we’ve seen, Rory and the Emirates are as much kindred spirits as he and the home of the Wells Fargo are.
So, taking his record in Dubai into consideration, along with the fact that he grabbed a tie for 3rd last week with a game that wasn’t sharp tee-to-green (45th, 53rd, & 22nd in Driving Accuracy over the last three rounds; 39th, 43rd, & 24th in GIR% over the last three rounds), and where, by his own admission, he wasn’t particularly thinking about winning on the back-9, this week – with more time to get his new clubs dialled-in – should see Rory kick up another gear in his performance. And that ‘gear’? That usually sees him in the hunt for silverware.
DAVID PUIG
Following his impressive showing at the Dubai Invitational that saw him bag a 3T finish for his week’s work, David Puig just further proved why he’s one of the best young Europeans out there.
Though operating on limited appearances with the tour, given that he’s been with LIV since turning pro back in 2022, the 24-year-old Spaniard has still notched up an impressive record in European Tour events. Fourteen of seventeen cuts made. Three top-10 finishes. Three third-place finishes. And, just this past November, he won the opening event of the 2026 season by claiming the BMW Australian PGA Championship.
But when you look at his game, you can see why Puig – a college golf graduate with the Arizona State University – is able to show up and perform.
He’s long off the tee (4th in Driving Distance with LIV last season; 2nd & 1st over the first two days in Dubai) with accuracy to boot (39th in Driving Accuracy with LIV in 2025, but 1st, 7th, 9th, & 14th in Dubai). He’s really solid with the irons, with a particularly stellar showing last week (4th, 6th, 5th, & 12th in GIR%). And he was getting it done on the greens as well, ranking incredibly highly in Putting Average %, Putts per GIR %, and Scoring %.
Basically, had he been with the European Tour since turning professional, David Puig would probably be one of the best players on the European Tour, easily a dual member with the PGA Tour, and more than likely have been in Bethpage last September with the Ryder Cup team. He really is that good.
So, to see him teeing it up this week at the Emirates, whilst his lack of experience with the track could, of course, be an issue, with the way he’s driving the ball, his ability to get on the dancefloor, and his comfort with the flatstick in hand, there’s no reason why Puig can’t further prove that the European Tour should be trying everything they can to get him on a similar deal to that which allows Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton to play in the Ryder Cup. Because this kind of talent doesn’t come around often.
THORBJØRN OLESEN
Having always been one of the most consistent guys on tour, Thorbjørn has been a mainstay of the European Tour for a long time. 228 cuts made from 327 appearances. Eight wins. Ten runner-ups. Seven third-place finishes. Forty top-10s. And a winning Ryder Cup appearance back in 2018. The résumé speaks for itself.
But it’s that experience that makes Olesen such a solid pick to look out for this week. Since making his first appearance in 2011 – and apart from 2020 & 2021 – Thorbjørn has always played in the Dubai Desert Classic, making for a total of thirteen appearances. And of those thirteen showings, he’s only missed the cut twice and had four top-10s, one of which was a tie for third back in 2013. So, obviously, he knows the course. He knows how to get around it. Plus, throw in the fact that he actually lives in Dubai and is, therefore, accustomed to playing in the conditions there – case in point, he was only one of nine players to break par during that wind-affected Friday at the Dubai Invitational – then you can see how the 36-year-old Dane should have the game to perform well this week.
Now, is it a big ask for Olesen to roll into the Emirates this week and claim the top prize? Absolutely. But if he can drive the ball well for four days, then going on how well he was striking his irons around Dubai Creek (23rd, 10th, 11th, & 12th in GIR%) and the fact that his work with the putter was trending tentatively toward the kinds of numbers he was posting in the mid-to-late-2010s, then Thorbjørn can definitely give himself a shot at landing the biggest win of his career in his own backyard.
