LIV Golf Watch: 11 stars set for Hero Dubai Desert Classic

This week, 11 LIV Golf players will be in action at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour. 

HERO DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC 

The Hero Dubai Desert Classic is one of the premier events on the DP World Tour and is the opening Rolex Series tournament of the 2026 Race to Dubai. The event will be held at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai, UAE, which has been the primary and longstanding host since the tournament's inaugural tournament in 1989.

Emirates Golf Club is an iconic course that features incredible views of the Dubai skyline. The par 72 measures 7,428 yards and typically offers a tough and strategic test that requires power off the tee.

LAURIE CANTER. Canter will be making his debut as a new full-time Majesticks Golf Club member. He had an excellent fall season, finishing T2 at the Genesis Championship and T3 in his most recent start at the DP World Tour Championship. Last year, Canter finished third at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

THOMAS DETRY. Detry will be making his debut as a LIV Golf player this week representing 4Aces GC. The Belgian finished T7 in his most recent start at the Genesis Championship. His best finish at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic came in the form of a T9 in 2021.

DUSTIN JOHNSON. Johnson is ready to kick off his 2026 campaign and get some momentum for the LIV Golf season. The 4Aces GC captain has yet to play in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic but has a strong record historically in the Middle East. 

TYRRELL HATTON. Hatton is the defending champion of the event, winning last season with scores of 71-65-68-69 for a total score of 15-under. In his most recent start, the Englishman finished T5 at the PIF Saudi International.

ADRIAN MERONK. Meronk has been one of the busiest players this offseason, making six starts since the Michigan Team Championship. The Pole had been playing poorly until his strong T5 finish at the PIF Saudi International. Meronk missed the cut at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic last year but finished runner-up in 2024, one shot behind winner Rory McIlroy.

TOM MCKIBBIN. McKibbin has been one of the LIV Golf stars of the offseason, winning the Link Hong Kong Open resulting in an exemption to both The Masters and The Open Championship. Last month, he played the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa, finishing T16. Last year he finished T6 at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

JOAQUIN NIEMANN. Niemann missed the cut in two consecutive events in Australia but finished T4 at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in 2024, which should give him some confidence going into the event.

VICTOR PEREZ. Perez is another player who will be making their debut as a LIV Golf player this week. The newest Cleeks Golf Club member has made five starts at the event, with his best finish coming in 2020 (T16).

DAVID PUIG. Puig is one start removed from winning the BMW Australian PGA Championship and is poised for a breakout season on LIV Golf. He will be making his debut at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. Last week, he finished T3 at the Dubai Invitational.

PATRICK REED. Reed has a strong history at Emirates Golf Club, finishing T10 last year and second in 2023. The 4Aces GC star has been busy this offseason, making his 10th start since the end of the LIV Golf season, which is the most of any player. 

ELVIS SMYLIE. Smylie is the newest and youngest member of Ripper GC. There is an undeniable buzz surrounding his arrival to LIV Golf as one of the most promising Australian talents in professional golf. He made his tournament debut last year at Emirates Golf Club, finishing T58. 

PLAYER NEWS 

4Aces GC announced Under Armor as the team’s new apparel sponsor. They also announced Celsius as their official energy drink partner.

LIV Golf wildcard Anthony Kim, who earned his spot for the 2026 by finishing in third place at LIV Golf Promotions, has announced that he’s started his on YouTube channel. In the first episode, Kim goes through his process of practicing while preparing for tournament golf.

The newest and youngest member of Ripper GC, Elvis Smylie, sat down Australian Golf Digest with for his first interview since joining the team.

Southern Guards GC Captain Louis Oosthuizen told The Africa that he contemplated retirement before joining LIV Golf four years ago.

After rebranding from Stinger GC to Southern Guards GC, Dean Burmester spoke to IOL about how both golf and rhino conservation shaped the decision to for their new logo. “The plight of the rhino has been close to my heart for about 10, 11 years now and we do a lot of effort to make sure that the rhino is making a bounce back and with the rebrand obviously, I think it all kind of fell into place,” Burmester said.

Golf Monthly crunched the numbers and determined that LIV Golf has the longest players off the tee when being compared to the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

Bryson DeChambeau attempted to break a public golf course record, kicking off season two of his popular YouTube series.