Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter among LIV golfers to tee up DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic
With a fresh season underway, the DP World Tour will head to Abu Dhabi for the HSBC Championship this week. Following the Rolex Series event, the golfers will head straight to the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for the 2023 Hero Dubai Desert Classic. The event is set to commence on January 26 and conclude on the 29.
The organizers have now let out some of the big names lined up for the Desert Classic. Interestingly, the field will feature a number of LIV golfers. This comes as the LIV Golf-PGA Tour debate continues to rage. Amid the legal fight between the two sides, the DP World Tour has given the green flag to several LIV golfers to compete at the Desert Classic.
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Players set to tee up at the event include the likes of Lee Westwood, Patrick Reed, and Ian Poulter. It also includes former Ryder Cup captain Henrik Stenson.
Here is the complete list of LIV golfers set to compete at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic:
- Lee Westwood
- Henrik Stenson
- Patrick Reed
- Ian Poulter
- Abraham Ancer
- Bernd Wiesberger
- Adrian Otaegui
- Sam Horsfield
- Pablo Larrazábal
- Richard Bland
- Shaun Norris
- Hennie Du Plessis
Things are bound to get rough at the Dubai Desert Classic as it’ll see LIV golfers take on PGA Tour players. It is pertinent to note that the event will be headlined by PGA Tour’s Rory McIlroy, a staunch opponent of LIV Golf and its players. A two-time winner of the event, the Irishman is deemed a favorite at the event.
It would be unsurprising if the World No.1 golfer makes a strong comment on the Saudi-backed series and its players at the European event.
One word from the World No.1 ☝️
@McIlroyRory said “PROGRESSIVE” when asked to describe Dubai in a single word.
The two-time #HeroDDC winner will be back at @EmiratesGC for the 34th #DesertClassic on 26th - 29th Jan!
#RolexSeries https://t.co/ctMrTbYrdx
LIV golfers on the DP World Tour
The large inclusion of LIV players on the DP World Tour is a talking point. It is pertinent to note that several clashes took place when such numbers of LIV golfers were allowed to play in a European circuit event, the BMW PGA Championship.
Players including Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick slammed the inclusion of over 15 LIV golfers at the PGA Championship last September. Ahead of the circuit’s flagship tournament, McIlroy had come out to call it "odd" and "disappointing" that the Saudi-backed series’ players were present at the event.
More controversy emerged as LIV player Sergio Garcia withdrew from the tournament after the first round. The golfer gave no explanation as to why he left the tournament early. Following his withdrawal, the golfer attended a Texas football game as the event progressed, paving the way for several speculations. PGA Tour backers, including Shane Lowry and Jon Rahm, also slammed the LIV players at the event.
It is also noteworthy that LIV golfers including Lee Westwood will also be present at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship held this weekend. Westwood will be among the top players at both the upcoming DP World Tour events. This has led to many fans questioning the DP World Tour's approach towards the LIV Golf debate.
Meanwhile, it’ll be interesting for neutral fans to see how the LIV players fare against the PGA Tour and European Tour players.