The Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club has long been one of the standout events on the DP World Tour, and the 2026 edition is shaping up to be no different after it was confirmed that nine LIV golfers will be among the 126 players who tee it up in the first Rolex Series event of the campaign.
Early confirmations meant that it was already guaranteed that four-time past winner Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Francesco Molinari, and Pádraig Harrington would provide major-winning pedigree, with Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland and Luke Donald adding Ryder Cup flair, but the strength in depth has been bolstered with the LIV contingent.
Former world number one and two-time major winner, Dustin Johnson, confirmed that he would make his maiden appearance back in December, while 2025 champion Tyrrell Hatton will also be back to defend his title.
2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, Tom McKibbin, Joaquin Niemann, Adrian Meronk and David Puig are also set to compete, as will Laurie Canter who returns to LIV after a successful DP World Tour campaign in 2025, and Victor Perez who will make his LIV debut in Riyadh in early February.
“I’m really looking forward to playing the Hero Dubai Desert Classic for the first time,” said Johnson. “I’ve heard great things about the event and Emirates Golf Club.
“When you look at past champions like Seve, Tiger and Rory, you know it’s a really prestigious tournament with incredible history. I’m excited to compete for the Dallah Trophy and be part of what is always a world-class field.”
Niemann, who was pipped to the top-ranking on LIV by Jon Rahm despite the Chilean winning five times on the tour in 2025 and seven times overall, has played in each of the last two stagings of the event and finished T7 in 2025 and T4 in 2024.
“I really enjoyed my first experience at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and I’m looking forward to coming back,” said Niemann.
“The Majlis Course suits my game and with such a strong field, it’s the perfect way to start the year. I have great memories of Dubai and I’m excited to compete again.”
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