I spent week at Hero Dubai Desert Classic - here are 5 takeaways including Ryder Cup prep and one to watch
Our golf expert has his say after watching on in UAE
Our golf correspondent Martin Dempster spent the week in Dubai and here are some of his takeaways after the Hero Desert Classic:
Team Cup pencilled on calendar to help with Adare Manor prep
Europe’s preparations for the 2027 Ryder Cup will almost certainly include a team event once again in the Middle East – no matter who is named as captain for the Adare Manor match.
Held as the Hero Cup ahead of the 2023 win in Rome then the Team Cup before a successful defence in New York in 2025, the contest between Great Britain and Ireland and Continental Europe has been pencilled in once again for next January.
Based on the DP World Tour schedule for the last three seasons, it seems as if the intention is to alternate the Dubai Invitational and Team Cup in the slot before the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Luke Donald oversaw the two editions so far of what is effectively a reinvention of the Seve Trophy, which was held eight times between 2000 and 2013 and was used by both Colin Montgomerie and Paul McGinley to help prepare them for stints as a Ryder Cup captain.
In 2023, Francesco Molinari captained Continental Europe to victory over a Tommy Fleetwood-led Great Britain and Ireland at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, where the tables were then turned in 2025, with Molinari up against Justin Rose on that occasion.
Bob MacIntyre has played in the last two Ryder Cups after being involved in the first encounter in the United Arab Emirates, with the event set to once again form an important part of Europe’s preparations for the 2027 edition in County Limerick.
Donald remains a strong favourite to stay on as Europe’s captain, however the aforementioned Molinari would be the obvious choice if Donald decides to call it a day after back-to-back wins over the Americans. But with all due respect to the 2018 Open champion, it’s no secret that the European players would be happy with a status quo.
“Look, I think we all know if Luke wants it, Luke will have it,” declared Rory McIlroy in the Middle East. “That’s sort of where we are. So it all hinges on what the Donalds [Luke and his wife Diane] want.”
Shane Lowry added: “There’s a huge carrot dangling there to go three in a row and be the only person to do that.”
Syme follows in Monty and Gallacher’s steps
Connor Syme has been appointed to the DP World Tour’s tournament committee, the player-elected body that acts as a key advisory group to the European Tour Group Board.
Syme, who landed his breakthrough win on the circuit in last year’s KLM Open, took up his new role when the committee, which is chaired by David Howell, met during last week’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Past Scots to serve on the committee include Colin Montgomerie and, more recently, Stephen Gallacher.
Schaper shaping up for an impressive year
The 2026 DP World Tour schedule may still be in the early stages but it already seems that one of the ten PGA Tour cards up for grabs has been wrapped up.
Jayden Schaper, a 24-year-old South African, is out in front in the Race to Dubai and it looks as though he’s only going to go from strength to strength.
Schaper arrived in the Middle East with wins in both the Alfred Dunhill Championship and AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open under his belt before cementing his position at the top of the points table by finishing joint-fourth in the Rolex Series event.
He’s more than 400 points ahead of second-placed Patrick Reed and a whopping 700 points clear of Andy Sullivan in third spot.
Reed ponders schedule after his hectic 2025
Although the context, in fairness, wasn’t clear, it seems that Dame Laura Davies got it wrong when she talked on Sky Sports Golf on Sunday about Patrick Reed “not playing that much” in assessing his win in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
“I think it will be a little less this year,” the American said, speaking on Friday at Emirates Golf Club, of teeing up in 32 events in 2025. “That was a little much last year. I averaged around 31 to 35 when I was on the PGA Tour.
“I felt like the previous year I didn’t play enough, so I made my schedule last year and we’re like, ‘32, we’ve done that before, no problem’. I didn’t realise how much harder it is doing all, basically, overseas.
“When I used to do it, it was all mainly stateside, so short hops and fly home Sunday night, see the kiddos, fly out Monday night or even Tuesday early morning and now it’s just long flight after long flight after long flight.”
Reed was set for a short hop, though, yesterday from Dubai to Bahrain, where he is playing on the DP World Tour for the third week in a row in the Bapco Energies Championship. “Celebrate a little bit tonight,” he said of landing a first Rolex Series success, “but tomorrow get back to work.”
Long-serving snapper calls it a day in Dubai
Sunday marked the end of an era for one of golf’s most-recognisable characters out on a course, though for taking shots rather than actually hitting any shots.
Instead of a club, Ross Kinnaird has had a camera in his hands as a long-serving photographer for Getty Images, the media company that services outlets around the world, including this title.
A big Leicester City fan, albeit a suffering one at the moment, Kinnaird called it a day after snapping pictures out on the Majlis Course in the 37th edition of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
He’ll be missed at tournaments by many, including lots of players who have become close friends, but, in particular, his long-time colleagues, notably Andrew Redington.
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