Sharma and Sandhu set for big start at star-studded Hero Dubai Desert Classic

V Krishnaswamy in Dubai

Dubai, UAE, January 19: India’s top golfing stars Shubhankar Sharma and Yuvraj Singh Sandhu will play on special tournament invitations at the 2026 Hero Dubai Desert Classic January 22–26.

The duo are among the five to have received the invites – the other three being former Masters winner and former World No. 1 American Dustin Johnson, Chilean Joaquin Niemann and England’s Eddie Pepperell.

Sharma returns to the Emirates Golf Club for an eighth straight year, while Sandhu will tee it up at the $9 million Majlis Course for the first time, though he is no stranger to the layout. The tournament, supported by Hero, has extended two invites to Indians in the same year for the first time.

The 37th edition of the Dubai Desert Classic will have a star-filled field, with Major champions, Ryder Cup players and rising talents expected. Masters champion Rory McIlroy headlines the line-up, joined by former Masters winners Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed, as well as FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood, who celebrated his 35th birthday on Monday.

McIlroy, a four-time winner of the Desert Classic, is looking to make it five times, with his previous wins having come in 2009, 2015, 2023 and 2024.

Two-time DP World Tour winner Sharma arrives in Dubai aiming for a strong start to 2026. After losing his Tour card last season, the 29-year-old battled through Q-School to regain playing rights. “Receiving an invite feels great. I love this event and have played it many times. Hopefully I can make it count,” he said.

For Chandigarh’s Sandhu, the invitation represents a major step forward in his professional journey. He dominated the 2025 PGTI season with seven wins to claim the Order of Merit and earn his DP World Tour card. “The Hero Dubai Desert Classic is such a special event. I’m really looking forward to it,” Sandhu added.

The field also features former Open winner Shane Lowry, two-time Ryder Cup-winning captain Luke Donald, Viktor Hovland, and the in-form Jayden Schaper, who has two victories and a runner-up finish in his last four starts and currently leads the Race to Dubai.

The roster of past champions includes Tiger Woods, Seve Ballesteros, Rory McIlroy and Ernie Els and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic is one of the first big events of teach calendar year and carries a purse of Nine million dollars.