via Imago
Source Credit: IMAGO
via Imago
Source Credit: IMAGO
The 2025 Dubai Desert Classic has kick started and the players are already doing wonders. The excitement is palpable as some of the biggest names in golf take to the course. Rory McIlroy, for instance, tees off at 08:05 local time from the tenth hole on Thursday, joined by Ryder Cup teammates Viktor Hovland and Tommy Fleetwood. Meanwhile, Paul Waring is part of a group featuring Rolex Series winners Tyrrell Hatton and Rasmus Højgaard, who start their round at 08:15 GMT.
As the tournament heats up, Friday’s second round promises to be just as thrilling. Record five-time Rolex Series winner Jon Rahm takes to the course alongside World Number 14 Robert MacIntyre and Major champion Adam Scott at 08:05. Min Woo Lee, meanwhile, is part of a group featuring Denmark’s Rasmus Højgaard and American debutant Akshay Bhatia, who start their round at 08:15. You can catch all the action from the Feature Groups on the DP World Tour’s YouTube channel, with commentary provided by Alison Whitaker, Jamie Spence, and on-course analysis by Inci Mehmet.
You can find out all the tee timings and pairings for your favorite players, per the official European Tour website (All times EST):-
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| Time | Tee | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
| 2:05 | 1 | Jens Dantorp | Ross Fisher | Matthias Schwab |
| 2:15 | 1 | David Ford | Jason Scrivener | Ivan Cantero |
| 2:25 | 1 | Frederic Lacroix | Yannik Paul | Andy Sullivan |
| 2:35 | 1 | Richie Ramsay | Daniel Hillier | Ryggs Johnston |
| 2:45 | 1 | Daniel Brown | Bernd Wiesberger | Jeff Winther |
| 2:55 | 1 | Joost Luiten | Tom Vaillant | Scott Jamieson |
| 3:05 | 1 | Jeong weon Ko | Casey Jarvis | Richard Mansell |
| 3:15 | 1 | Ockie Strydom | Fabrizio Zanotti | Kiradech Aphibarnrat |
| 3:25 | 1 | Dale Whitnell | Louis De Jager | Marcus Armitage |
| 3:35 | 1 | Adam Bresnu | Ashun Wu | Joel Girrbach |
| 2:05 | 10 | Jorge Campillo | Yuto Katsuragawa | David Ravetto |
| 2:15 | 10 | Darius Van Driel | Guido Migliozzi | Laurie Canter |
| 2:25 | 10 | Pablo Larrazábal | Adrian Meronk | Alexander Björk |
| 2:35 | 10 | Thomas Pieters | Sebastian Söderberg | John Parry |
| 2:45 | 10 | Luke Donald | Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen | Angel Hidalgo |
| 2:55 | 10 | Thriston Lawrence | Niklas Norgaard | Matt Wallace |
| 3:05 | 10 | Jon Rahm | Robert Macintyre | Adam Scott |
| 3:15 | 10 | Min Woo Lee | Rasmus Højgaard | Akshay Bhatia |
| 3:25 | 10 | Ugo Coussaud | Alex Fitzpatrick | Patrick Reed |
| 3:35 | 10 | Nicolas Colsaerts | Marcus Kinhult | Andrew Wilson |
| 6:25 | 1 | Mike Lorenzo-Vera | Nathan Kimsey | Robin Williams |
| 6:35 | 1 | Adrian Otaegui | Dean Burmester | Sam Bairstow |
| 6:45 | 1 | Shubhankar Sharma | Joe Dean | Padraig Harrington |
| 6:55 | 1 | Romain Langasque | Matthew Jordan | Dan Bradbury |
| 7:05 | 1 | Tom Mckibbin | Johannes Veerman | Elvis Smylie |
| 7:15 | 1 | Jordan Smith | Ryan Fox | Thorbjørn Olesen |
| 7:25 | 1 | Rory Mcilroy | Viktor Hovland | Tommy Fleetwood |
| 7:35 | 1 | Paul Waring | Tyrrell Hatton | Nicolai Højgaard |
| 7:45 | 1 | Ewen Ferguson | Keita Nakajima | Jimmy Walker |
| 7:55 | 1 | Julien Guerrier | Marcel Siem | Shaun Norris |
| 8:05 | 1 | Jayden Schaper | Jordan Gumberg | Todd Clements |
| 6:25 | 10 | Jannik De Bruyn | George Coetzee | Alexander Knappe |
| 6:35 | 10 | Preston Summerhays | Jacques Kruyswijk | Manuel Elvira |
| 6:45 | 10 | Nacho Elvira | Ricardo Gouveia | Maximilian Kieffer |
| 6:55 | 10 | Darren Fichardt | Dylan Frittelli | Haotong Li |
| 7:05 | 10 | Andrea Pavan | Aaron Cockerill | Gavin Green |
| 7:15 | 10 | Calum Hill | Grant Forrest | Brandon Stone |
| 7:25 | 10 | Matthew Baldwin | David Micheluzzi | Sean Crocker |
| 7:35 | 10 | Alejandro Del Rey | Alfredo Garcia-Heredia | Adrien Saddier |
| 7:45 | 10 | Ryan Van Velzen | Connor Syme | Francesco Laporta |
| 7:55 | 10 | Veer Ahlawat | Daniel Gavins | Callum Shinkwin |
| 8:05 | 10 | Thomas Aiken | Marcel Schneider | Simon Forsström |
But what are these players fighting for? Well, a lot so let’s find out, shall we?
Prize money up for grabs at the 2025 Dubai Desert Classic
The DP World Tour is back in action after a brief break, and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic is the perfect event to kickstart the International Swing. This prestigious tournament has a rich history, with past winners including golfing legends like Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Seve Ballesteros, and Bryson DeChambeau. McIlroy, in particular, has a special affinity for this event, having lifted the trophy four times already. He’s gunning for a fifth title this year, which would earn him a significant share of the overall purse of $9 million.
The 2025 Dubai Desert Classic boasts the second-largest prize fund of the year. The winner will take home $1,530,000, with the runner-up earning $990,000. Here’s the breakdown of the prize money payout: 1st $1,530,000, 2nd $990,000, 3rd $567,000, 4th $450,000, and 5th $381,600. With a stacked field featuring the likes of Akshay Bhatia, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, and Tyrrell Hatton, it’s anyone’s game. So, who do you think will win the tournament? Let us know in the comment section below!
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Can Rory McIlroy clinch his fifth Dubai Desert Classic title, or will Jon Rahm steal the show?