Rory McIlroy will go up against a number of LIV Golf stars when he looks to defend his title at the Rolex Series event between January 16 to 19 with a prize fund of over £7m on offer
Rory McIlroy is gearing up for a head-to-head with Ryder Cup ally Jon Rahm as he readies to lock horns with the LIV Golf convert at the loaded Hero Dubai Desert Classic, boasting a hefty purse.
Returning as the reigning champ to the DP World Tour event, the Northern Irish golf maestro has clinched victory four times before. As he aims for a roaring kickoff to 2025 at the prestigious Rolex Series event from January 16-19, McIlroy, now 36, will be sizing up six LIV Golf heavyweights on the greens of Emirates Golf Club.
Alongside Rahm, lining up under the Arabian sun are Tyrrell Hatton, Adrian Meronk, Patrick Reed, Thomas Pieters, and Dean Burmester. They’re joined by golfing luminaries such as Akshay Bhatia, Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, Nicolai Hojgaard, Viktor Hovland, Adam Scott, Luke Donald, and Padraig Harrington.
Players are eyeing a £7.4million purse in Dubai, with an eye-watering £1.9m reserved for the winner of this cash-laden contest. Plus, the tourney tosses into the pot a handsome 8,000 Race to Dubai points and a tantalising 2,000 Ryder Cup points for the taking.
With his sights set on his third successive tournament triumph, McIlroy must stave off the spirited challenge from debutant Rahm, who’s expressed eager anticipation for the event: “This is an event that I have heard a lot about,” he said.
“I am looking forward to making my Hero Dubai Desert Classic debut in January. I have had a lot of success in Dubai in the past so it’s a place that holds a lot of good memories for me, and it will be great to get back there.”
Rory McIlroy will be hoping to retain the trophy ( Image: Warren Little/Getty Images)
Previously, McIlroy has been a high-profile critic of LIV since its founding in 2021, with Rahm arguably the biggest name to have joined since the league’s establishment. However, speaking after the one-time Masters winner signed a lucrative million deal with the Saudi Arabian circuit last year, the Irish legend refused to speak negatively about his peer.
Talking to former Manchester United footballer Gary Neville on The Overlap, he said: “I thought it was a smart business move from Jon it’s opportunistic. I think he sees that things will come back together and he’s in a lucky position.
“There’s not one person that wouldn’t want him on our Ryder Cup team because of how good he is, so he was in a great position where there wasn’t a ton of risk involved for him to go. I’ve got no problem with him going if that’s what he wants to do and he thinks that’s the right decision for him and his family. Who am I to say any different at this point?”
