Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm will host a battle between the No. 1 players on the DP World Tour and LIV Golf Tour at the $9 million Hero Dubai Desert Classic, which begins Thursday.
McIlroy won the season-ending DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in November for his third consecutive Race to Dubai title.
In September, Spaniard Rahm won the LIV Golf season-long individual championship by winning the last of the regular events in Chicago.
With no Official World Golf Ranking points for the Saudi-backed league, the old world ranking has fallen to 31st place.
McIlroy is seeking his third consecutive victory at the Dubai Desert Classic and his fifth overall, while Rahm is making his tournament debut.
The 30-year-old Northern Irishman, however, has an exceptional record in the emirate, having won the DP World Tour champion title three times.
“It’s always been nice to start my year in Dubai. It’s something I’ve done for most of my professional career,” McIlroy said.
“The last two years, coming here to Dubai, opening the season and having success, it’s a really good start to the season. Obviously, that’s the plan again this year.”
McIlroy has been vocal about his opposition to LIV Golf, but the two European Ryder Cup stars have remained good friends through it all.
– Another LIV recruit –
However, the recent, and yet to be officially confirmed, news that Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin is joining LIV Golf – and Rahm’s team – will add an edge to their relationship.
McKibbin, 22, happens to be a member of McIlroy’s club in Hollywood and has been supported by the four-time major champion since his junior days.
McIlroy admitted he was “slightly disappointed” with McKibbin’s decision, but revealed the youngster had spoken to him often about the issue.
McIlroy said McKibbin, who he has known since they were 10, called him in New Zealand as soon as he received the offer from LIV.
“And I spoke to him several times during the month of December to get a sense of what he was thinking. All I can do is give my perspective.
“He has a lot of potential. I told him that if I were in your place, I would make a different choice than the one you are considering making.
“While working so hard to get your Tour card in the United States (he was one of 10 DP World Tour players to get his PGA Tour card), I thought about what he was potentially doing to sacrifice and give up – like access to the majors, the potential Ryder Cup spot – is huge.
“If I were in his place and I had his potential, I wouldn’t make this decision. But I’m not him. I’m not in his place. I’ve been perfectly clear: I’m not going to stand in your place if you have to make a decision.”
Rahm, who is still a member of the DP World Tour and has appealed the fines imposed on him for participating in LIV Golf events, said the Dubai tournament was important for him to ensure he made part of the European Ryder Cup team for the New York event. York State in September.
“This is a tournament I wanted to be a part of. There are a lot of great champions in this event. I love the city and I love coming here,” Rahm said.
“We don’t have our first LIV event until the first week of February, so being able to play an event before that is nice to set the tone for the competition.
“It’s going to be quite difficult for me to play more DP World Tour events before August. It’s nice to play one early on and not have to play too many after the Ryder Cup. I never want to fail and possibly lose my membership.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but I can tell you my plan is to be part of this (Ryder Cup) team.”
In addition to McIlroy and Rahm, the tournament features Norwegian Viktor Hovland, world No. 8 and 2022 champion, Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, world No. 10 based in Dubai, as well as American phenomenon Akshay Bhatia.
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