Dubai Invitational 2026 LIVE: Dates, UK times, field, leaderboard, prize money and how to follow as McIlroy and Fleetwood face off

The 2026 Dubai Invitational will kick off another big year of golf on the DP World Tour.

Tommy Fleetwood held off Ryder Cup team-mate Rory McIlroy to win this event two years ago.

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It was not held last season but now the Dubai Creek Resort tournament has returned to the schedule.

Fleetwood and McIlroy will be in action again alongside a host of other top names with the DP World Tour having a successful history of starting the calendar year in the UAE.

The following week will see the Hero Dubai Desert Classic take place – a Rolex Series event and one of the most prestigious on the tour.

Dubai Invitational 2026: Date and how to follow

This event is taking place from Thursday, January 15 to Sunday, January 18.

It is being held at the Dubai Creek Resort Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates. The course is a par 71 and will measure a maximum of 7,059 yards. 

Play will begin at 8:30am local time which is 4:30am UK time.

talkSPORT will also have regular updates from Dubai.

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Sky Sports Golf will have coverage of the event from 7:30am each day.

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Dubai Invitational 2026: Field and tee times

The opening event of 2026 on the DP World Tour has a limited field of 60 players.

Fleetwood won the inaugural edition of this tournament, beating McIlroy and Thriston Lawrence by one stroke.

Fleetwood and McIlroy will return to headline again this year.

Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and Ryan Fox have also been confirmed in the field with more star names to follow soon.

The full field, tee times and pairings will be announced in due course and can be found here while the latest leaderboard from the UAE will follow once play is up and running.

The prize pot for this event is set at $2.75million with 3,500 Race to Dubai points also up for grabs.

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Dubai Invitational 2026: What has been said?

McIlroy is excited to get another year up and running in the UAE as he eyes more success.

“I’m excited to be starting my year in Dubai,” said McIlroy. 

“The UAE is a place where I’ve enjoyed a lot of great weeks, and I’m sure this will be no different.

“Dubai Creek Resort was a fantastic host venue, and Abdulla and his team put on an incredible event. I came very close to winning that week, so I’m hoping 2026 will be another really good year for me – and to start strong in the Middle East would be the perfect way to get it under way.”

Fleetwood, who lives in Dubai, is also looking forward to trying to go back-to-back in this event.

“I’m delighted to be defending my Dubai Invitational title in front of family and friends here in Dubai,” he added. 

“Winning the first edition was a really special moment for me, and Abdulla did a fantastic job bringing the event to life. I can’t wait to start the new year back at Dubai Creek.”