The DP World Tour has established itself as one of the most prestigious golf tours globally, renowned for its elite tournaments, world-class players, and commitment to growing the sport. With its strong presence in the Middle East, the Tour has played a pivotal role in transforming the region into a major hub for professional golf, attracting global attention through landmark events such as the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, and the DP World Tour Championship.
At the forefront of this expansion is Tom Phillips, Director of Middle East at DP World Tour, who has been instrumental in strengthening partnerships, developing new opportunities, and ensuring the continued success of the Tour in the region. In this exclusive interview, Phillips provides insights into the DP World Tour’s strategic vision, the evolution of golf in the Middle East, and how the region is shaping the future of the sport on a global scale.
As Director of Middle East at the DP World Tour, how do you see the region’s growing impact on global golf, and what role does the Tour play in strengthening this connection?
The DP World Tour has been visiting the Middle East since 1989, so over the last 36 years we have been building relationships and working together with our various partners to develop golf in the region. The Middle East has become a sporting hub over the last three decades and golf has been a big part of that growth. We have brought some of the golf’s biggest names to the Middle East and that has helped inspire the growth of golf at all levels.
So the sport has benefitted, as has the region’s tourism industry. We have six events on the DP World Tour in the Middle East in 2025, plus the Team Cup and two HotelPlanner Tour events. Some of our biggest partners are also headquartered in the region, including DP World, the title partner of our main tour since 2022, Emirates, Abu Dhabi Sports Council and Falcon.
We have six events on the DP World Tour in the Middle East in 2025, plus the Team Cup and two HotelPlanner Tour events.
We also have an incredibly strong team of DP World Tour employees based here in the UAE now – 29 and counting – so the region’s impact on our Tour and global golf therefore continues to get stronger and stronger.
The DP World Tour has been instrumental in bringing world-class golf events to the Gulf region. What are some key highlights and upcoming initiatives that fans and stakeholders should be excited about?
The fan experience is such a big part of what we do as a Tour. It’s what makes fans come back each year and it is what attracts new fans. Each year we look at our events and identify areas that we can enhance for the next year’s tournament. For example, in recent years we have introduced elevated on-site experience targeting different audiences, including Ladies Day, Family Day and Community Day, with premium hospitality and a variety of off-course activities and food and beverage offerings within our tournament village.
We also use innovative technologies, such as our player locator app and immersive experiences, including virtual reality tours of courses and player interactions. Whether you are attending in person, or watching at home, we want to offer our fans the best possible experience.
With the Middle East hosting some of the most prestigious tournaments, do you see the region playing an even bigger role in shaping the future of professional golf? Are there plans to introduce new tournaments or strengthen partnerships with local golf bodies?
We are very happy with the schedule of events as things stand but we are always working on, and open to, new opportunities that benefit our Tour, our members and golf in the Middle East. We have long-standing relationships in the region established over the last four decades and we continue to work together with those partners in a way that drive our sport forward in the Middle East. Beyond our tournaments, we are committed to youth development in the region.
We also have links with 12 UAE schools through our Golf Futures Programme, created to educate and inspire future generations on the opportunities that come from following golf and the wide range of careers available in live sport and entertainment.
The DP World Tour has established flagship events like the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and Abu Dhabi Championship. Can you share what’s new for the upcoming season and if there are any exciting changes that golf fans should look forward to?
We’ve already had a very strong start to the 2025 calendar year, with five consecutive events in the region – the Team Cup, Hero Dubai Desert Classic, Ras Al Khaimah Championship, Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship and the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. It’s become customary that the DP World Tour begins the calendar year in the Middle East and then returns to the region to conclude our season.
We introduced a new structure to our season last year which meant the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship moved from its traditional January date to November as part of the DP World Tour Play-Offs, along with the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. Those two Rolex Series events are a terrific way to conclude our season in the Middle East and we are currently working on plans to further enhance those two events, as we aim to do each year. Before then, we also have two consecutive events on the HotelPlanner Tour in the UAE – the UAE Challenge at Al Zorah Golf Club in Ajman and the Abu Dhabi Challenge at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club. That double header will give fans in the region the opportunity to see some of the stars of the future, while also providing playing opportunities for numerous UAE players through our partnership with the Emirates Golf Federation.
Looking ahead, what is your long-term vision for the DP World Tour in the Gulf region, and how do you see its role in shaping the future of golf here?
Our sport is becoming more global and as golf’s global tour, we have an important role to play in that evolution. So too does the Middle East. The region has an established reputation as a sporting hub, and we will continue to develop our sport here and continue to elevate and enhance our events. We’ve seen many of our players relocating to Dubai and Abu Dhabi in recent years to take advantage of the fantastic courses, practice facilities, weather and transport links we have here. That’s a trend I think we will continue to see, which further underlines the region’s importance in the development of our sport globally.
Lastly, if you had to choose a 4 ball plus a golf course in the Middle East, who and where would you choose, and why?
There are too many great courses in the Middle East for me to single out just one, but for sentimental reasons I would probably have to say the Faldo course at Emirates Golf Club. My first ever visit to Dubai was in 2006 with Sir Nick – my boss at the time – to officially open the Faldo course. Little did I know that 13 years later this city would become my home. In terms of the four-ball, I would go with three sporting icons who were at the peak of their game when I was a boy and drew me into live sport: Boris Becker (tennis), Viv Richards (cricket) and Vinnie Jones (Wimbledon football club).
(C) Sports&gulf.ae 2025
