• Players were joined by the three winners of this year’s DP World Tour Championship Luckiest Ball on Earth Grand Final
  • Morning shotgun won by Daniel Hillier’s Team Hero, while Tyrrell Hatton’s Team DP World emerge victorious from afternoon shotgun

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.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Basma Khalifa
Basma.khalifa@dune23.me

About the DP World Tour

The DP World Tour is the main men’s professional golf Tour of the European Tour group, with a global schedule featuring a minimum of 39 tournaments in 26 different countries across the 2023 season.
 
Formerly known as the European Tour, which was established in 1972, the 2023 DP World Tour schedule includes five Rolex Series events, along with four Major Championships, one World Golf Championship event, as well as tournaments staged around the world with a minimum prize of $2million for all events solely sanctioned by the DP World Tour.
 
The season concludes with the final Rolex Series event, the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, where the winner of the Tour’s season-long competition, the Race to Dubai Rankings in partnership with Rolex, will be crowned.
 
DP World, the leading provider of global smart end-to-end supply chain and logistics solutions, is the title partner of the DP World Tour, which is administered by the European Tour group.

About the European Tour group

The European Tour group is the overarching corporate brand which administers four competition brands: the DP World Tour, the Challenge Tour, the Legends Tour and, along with the PGA of America, is the Managing Partner of golf’s greatest team contest, the Ryder Cup.
 
Established in 1972, the European Tour group is committed to ‘Driving Golf Further’ through our guiding principles of being innovative, inclusive and global.
 
Innovative: We are driving innovation in golf through the creation of award-winning content, pioneering tournament formats and the use of the latest technology and inventive fan engagement. We are committed to attracting new audiences whilst respecting the tradition of our sport.
 
Inclusive: We are committed to include all who share a love for the game of golf. We are passionate about a closer collaboration with the women’s game, golf for the disabled and promoting the many physical and mental health benefits of playing golf. 
 
Global: Since 1972, players from 38 different countries have won tournaments on our main Tour, while our live broadcast reaches more than 490 million homes in more than 150 countries every week, generating in excess of 2,200 global broadcast hours for each event. We also enjoy the support of many of the world’s leading business brands with DP World, Rolex, BMW, Emirates, Fortinet, Hilton and Zoom as Official Partners.
 
 The European Tour group has Strategic Alliances with the PGA TOUR, the Sunshine Tour and ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia, while  we ensure we have a positive long-term impact on the courses, countries and the communities we visit through ‘Golf for Good’, the umbrella name for the European Tour group’s commitment to ‘Driving Golf Further’ in an environmentally and socially sustainable way.

About the Rolex Series

The Rolex Series is the premium category of events on the DP World Tour, comprising five tournaments in 2023, staged in a variety of world-class golfing locations around the globe, each with a minimum prize fund of US$9 million and 9,000 Race to Dubai points available.
 
Showcasing innovation, enriched media, content and broadcast coverage, and a superior event experience for the world’s top players, the list of Rolex Series Champions includes some of golf’s most distinguished names.
 
The Rolex Series was launched in 2017, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of Rolex’s enduring partnership with the European Tour group.
 
In 2023, the Rolex Series comprises; the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (January 19-22), the Hero Dubai Desert Classic (January 26-29), the Genesis Scottish Open (July 13-16) the BMW PGA Championship (September 14-17) and the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai (November 16-19), where the winner of the Race to Dubai in Partnership with Rolex will be crowned.