Dubai, UAE – The DP World Tour Championship Rolex Pro-Am has concluded and some of golf’s biggest stars will now head into final preparations for what promises to be an electrifying ending to the DP World Tour Race to Dubai season.Playing alongside the professionals were some familiar names away from the world of golf, with Irish rugby legend and Grand Slam-winning captain Johnny Sexton, Leon "Locksmith" Rolle from multiple award-winning British drum and bass band Rudimental and Michelin starred chef Jason Atherton, testing their skills around the infamous Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.The three winners of this year’s DP World Tour Championship Luckiest Ball on Earth Grand Final – David Warham, Misun Kim and Hashem Shana’ah – also took part in the Pro-Am, playing alongside Sweden’s Sebastian Soderberg.The morning shotgun was won by Team Hero featuring professional Daniel Hillier and amateurs Abhimanyu Munjal, Samvit Chopra and Kunal Seth, while the afternoon shotgun was won by Team DP World consisting of Tyrrell Hatton, Hardeep Singh, Waseem Trumboo and Sachin Mahajan.Sexton, who played alongside Rory McIlroy, Rashid Abdulla and Avinash Pangarkar as part of Team DP World, said: “It was an absolute pleasure to be asked to participate today and I’m delighted to be here at this amazing golf course playing with some of the best in the world. I’m playing about 80 yards ahead of Rory and he’s still hitting it past me! I love watching him play so to be here up-close is even more special for me.”Rudimental’s Leon "Locksmith" Rolle, who played with Zander Lombard, Jason Atherton and Nasser Khafaji on Team DP World Tour, said: “Performing music in front of big crowds is second nature to me but playing in a Pro-Am golf tournament isn’t, so I’m definitely feeling the pressure! The professional players are on another level. Just being able to spend time with them is amazing and I feel like I am learning so much. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the week and enjoying as much of the action as possible.”Atherton added: “Being here today playing in this tournament on such an amazing course is a dream for us amateur golfers and I’m absolutely loving it. I started playing golf when I lived in Dubai from 2000-2005 and really caught the bug, and I’ve been in love with it ever since. I’m really looking forward to what the rest of the week has in store.”This year’s milestone 15th edition of the DP World Tour Championship promises an unforgettable experience for golf fans and families alike, featuring the top 50 players in the Race to Dubai Rankings in partnership with Rolex, at the fifth and final Rolex Series event of the DP World Tour season.A number of players from Europe’s victorious 2023 Ryder Cup team will compete, including Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Nicolai Højgaard, Viktor Hovland, Robert MacIntyre, McIlroy and Jon Rahm.The DP World Tour Championship offers a fantastic day out for all, combining world-class golf with an array of exciting activities and experiences including free golf lessons, kids areas, trick-shot shows and sports activations, as well as premium hospitality and food and beverage options. For more information on the DP World Tour Championship visit dpwtc.com.

Rory McIlroy won his first Rolex Series title with a third victory at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic after a dramatic final day at Emirates Golf Club.The World Number One has a CV to rival the greats of the game, with four Major Championships, four Harry Vardon Trophies and three FedEx Cups to his name but he arrived in the UAE still missing a triumph in one of the DP World Tour's prestige events.He put that right in fine fashion on a Monday finish over the Majlis Course, birdieing the 17th and 18th in a 68 to finish at 19 under, one clear of American Patrick Reed.Reed's 65 made for a thrilling finish as the duo went toe-to-toe over the back nine but it was McIlroy who emerged the victor to move to second in the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.Australian Lucas Herbert - the 2020 winner of this event - finished third at 16 under, a shot clear of England's Callum Shinkwin and two ahead of Frenchman Julien Brun.

Hero MotoCorp has today been confirmed as the new Title Partner of the Dubai Desert Classic, the second Rolex Series event of the 2023 DP World Tour season.The Hero Dubai Desert Classic brings together Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles, and the DP World Tour’s longest-running event in the Middle East. The iconic tournament returns to Emirates Golf Club on January 26-29 for its 34th edition and will once again boast a stellar field headed by World Number One and two-time Dubai Desert Classic winner Rory McIlroy.The tournament was elevated to Rolex Series status in 2022 and next year will once again form part of the traditional ‘Desert Swing’, which annually attracts golf’s leading players to the region. The four-week series of events begins in January with the Hero Cup - a new team match play contest aimed at giving European players experience in the format ahead of the 2023 Ryder Cup – followed by back-to-back Rolex Series events in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and concluding at the Ras al Khaimah Championship.The new agreement extends Hero MotoCorp’s long-term relationship with the DP World Tour which began in 2015 at the Hero Indian Open. Since then, Hero has also supported the Hero Challenge - a series of fast-paced showpiece events and short form social and digital content, which have taken golf to new audiences - as well as the Hero Open, which featured on the DP World Tour schedule from 2020 to 2022.Hero MotoCorp will be Title Partner of three events on the 2023 DP World Tour International Schedule – the Hero Cup, Hero Dubai Desert Classic and Hero Indian Open.Dr. Pawan Munjal, Chairman & CEO, Hero MotoCorp, said: “We continue to have a long -term partnership with the DP World Tour; and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic is an extension of this engagement. We are delighted to be associated with this iconic event and will now be supporting two much-awaited marquee tournaments in the Middle East – the Hero Cup and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic – as part of the traditional Desert Swing. It surely promises to be an exciting start to the season, and we look forward to seeing world-class golf on display.”Simon Corkill, Executive Tournament Director – Hero Dubai Desert Classic, said: “We are delighted to welcome Hero MotoCorp as the new Title Partner of the Dubai Desert Classic as we once again prepare to host a global field at Emirates Golf Club.“Hero have been supportive of golf, and particularly innovation in the game, for a number of years and we look forward to working together to continue the evolution of the tournament as we enter our second year as part of the Rolex Series.”Keith Pelley, CEO of the DP World Tour, said: “It is my pleasure to welcome Hero MotoCorp as the new Title Partner of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. We are proud to further develop our long-term relationship with Hero MotoCorp and thank Dr Pawan Munjal for his continued support of golf in general and the DP World Tour in particular.“January promises to bring yet another memorable edition of this historic event, as we once again welcome some of the best players in the world to Dubai for the second Rolex Series event of 2023, two weeks after an exciting season-opener in the new Hero Cup.”The Dubai Desert Classic was the DP World Tour’s first event in the Middle East region in 1989, cementing the Tour’s relationship with Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. That association has developed significantly since then, including through the introduction in 2009 of the season-long Race to Dubai, and the ground-breaking evolution of the European Tour group’s long-term partnership with DP World, with the leading provider of global smart end-to-end supply chain and logistics solutions becoming the Title Partner of the group’s main Tour from the start of the 2022 season.The historic event has been won by some of golf’s great names, including Major Champions Seve Ballesteros, Ernie Els, Fred Couples, Jose Maria Olazábal, Mark O’Meara, Tiger Woods, Henrik Stenson, Rory McIlroy, Danny Willett, Sergio Garcia and Bryson DeChambeau.For more information about the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, please visit the tournament website here.