The Dubai Invitational returns to the DP World Tour calendar this week, having last been staged in 2024. The tournament is played on a biennial basis and features a distinctive pro-am format, with professionals competing alongside amateurs over the first three rounds. The final round then reverts to a traditional professional-only contest and we break down the event from a betting perspective and highlight a few plays for your consideration.
Course
The tournament is hosted at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, a classic desert parkland layout that places strategy and precision ahead of brute strength. The par 71 course measures just under 7,000 yards (approximately 6,400 metres), making it shorter than many modern DP World Tour venues, but while scoring should be low there are challenges.
Accuracy off the tee is critical. Fairways are relatively narrow and well-defended by strategically placed bunkers, water hazards, and palm-lined rough that penalises loose drives. Dubai Creek itself comes into play on several holes, most notably on the closing stretch, where water lines fairways and guards greens, creating genuine late-round pressure and risk-reward decision-making.
The greens are undulating and highly sectional, demanding precise iron play and excellent distance control on approaches. Missing the correct section often leaves testing two-putts or delicate recovery shots, particularly as putting surfaces firm up over the week. With limited rough in places but plenty of sand and water, players must commit to their lines and club selection.
Wind can also be a subtle but influential factor, especially in the afternoons, further emphasising the need for ball control and disciplined course management. While length can help on a handful of holes, this is a course that rewards accurate drivers and strong approach players rather than just power-heavy bombers.
In summary: Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club is a positional course that suits golfers who shape the ball well, avoid mistakes, and stay patient. With the added dynamic of the pro-am format early in the week and a demanding finish along the Creek, experience, composure, and precision are likely to be decisive and with a quality field assembled we should be in for a great weekend.
Past Winners
With the tournament only starting back in 2024 and being played every two years there has only been one previous winner.
2024 Tommy Fleetwood (England) -19 1 stroke
Betting (2026 Dubai Invitational)– Click here to bet
Rory McIlroy 4.50
Tommy Fleetwood 5.50
Nicolai Hojgaard 17.00
Jayden Schaper 17.00
Shane Lowry 19.00
SELECTIONS:
Jayden Schaper at 17.00
With the new DP World Tour season having started late last year, a handful of players are already fully up to speed rather than beginning their campaigns this week. Jayden Schaper is very much one of them and has hit the ground running in spectacular fashion.
The young South African finished runner-up at the Nedbank Challenge in November, bounced back the following week to win the Alfred Dunhill Championship, and then went one better again by securing a back-to-back victory in Mauritius the week after. That sequence underlines both his confidence and his ability to close tournaments. If he can bring anything close to that form to Dubai, we could be in for another standout performance.
Bet: Jayden Schaper each way at 17.00
Rory McIlroy at 4.50
There is a reason McIlroy starts the week as the favourite. Quite simply, he has an exceptional record in Dubai. Whether it is the Desert Classic or the Tour Championship, his name is almost always near the top of the leaderboard by Sunday afternoon.
He also showed his comfort with this event by finishing runner-up in the inaugural Dubai Invitational, and the strategic demands of Dubai Creek play directly into his strengths. Given his history in the region, it would be no surprise to see him contending again and given his short price he is a win only play for me.
Rory McIlroy win at 4.50
Shaun Norris at 126.00
Norris represents the longer-priced value in the market, but his early-season form suggests he should not be dismissed lightly. He opened his campaign with an impressive fifth-place finish at the Nedbank Challenge before following it up with a runner-up finish at the Alfred Dunhill Championship the week after.
Although he lost that playoff to Schaper, the performance underlined how close his game already is at this stage of the season. On a course that rewards accuracy and composure, Norris has the tools to sneak into contention and looks a strong outsider for a place.
Shaun Norris each way for small stakes at 126.00 and a larger bet on a top 10 finish at 7.00
Prices correct at the time of writing but subject to change
Click here for all the Dubai Invitational 2026 Markets
Golf Playoff
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