The Ras Al Khaimah Championship returns this week, for the third time, to the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah and specifically Al Hamra Golf Club from January 25-28, 2024.

The coastal venue, designed by Peter Harradine, first made waves by staging three European Challenge Tour events which included the Ras Al Khaimah Challenge Tour Grand Final in 2018, claimed by Dubai resident Adri Arnaus.

Now a regular DP World Tour tournament venue, it broke it’s duck on the main stage in 2022 with the inaugural staging of the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, followed the week after by the Ras Al Khaimah Classic.

In 2022 Al Hamra Golf Club set the stage for the Danish Ryder Cup star, Nicolai Højgaard, who won his second DP World Tour title in the emirate. Fast forward a year, Englishman Daniel Gavins also prevailed for his second DP World Tour title.

This year’s field includes some of the greatest names to play the game in the form of three-time Major Champion Padraig Harrington and 2018 Ryder Cup winning Captain Thomas Bjørn, who have each won 15 DP World Tour titles over careers spanning three decades.

The duo will come up against a host of rising stars on the DP World Tour, with the likes of Yannik Paul, Jordan Smith, Alex Fitzpatrick, Tom McKibbin and Rasmus Højgaard, whose twin brother, Nicolai, won the inaugural edition in 2022, all bidding to etch their name onto the trophy.

“I like playing Al Hamra Golf Club, I’ve got some good memories from there,” said Højgaard, who finished in a share of sixth last season.

“Nicolai’s name is already on the trophy and I kind of want to add my name to it too. That would be a pretty cool thing, to be able to share a trophy together!”

Other confirmed stars include former Hero Dubai Desert Classic champions Stephen Gallacher and Rafa Cabrera Bello, 2014 Abu Dhabi Championship winner Pablo Larrazábal, all 20 Challenge Tour graduates and Japanese ace Keita Nakajima, who spent a record 87 weeks as No.1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and won the 2021 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Dubai Creek Resort before turning professional.

Chris Atkinson, Championship Director of the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, said: “This event has grown year on year to become established as an exciting fixture of the DP World Tour’s run of Middle East events.

“We can’t wait to welcome fans back to the beautiful Al Hamra Golf Club once again to see stars of the DP World Tour battle it out for an early victory on the 2024 Race to Dubai.”

Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, said: “We are thrilled to be welcoming back some of the world’s best golfers to the emirate for the third year in a row.

“We are confident that the upcoming Ras Al Khaimah Championship will be bigger and better than ever and look forward to showing our visitors what the emirate offers both on and off the golf course.”

Benoy Kurien, Group CEO of Al Hamra, owner of the host venue, Al Hamra Golf Club, said: “We are privileged to have the opportunity to once again host the DP World Tour for the Ras Al Khaimah Championship. Our relationship with the European Tour group has gone from strength-to-strength since hosting our first event in 2016 on the European Challenge Tour and we look forward to seeing this partnership develop.

“We are also looking forward to once again working alongside our partners at RAKTDA to showcase the best of the emirate for local and international golf fans.”

Main image: Al Hamra Golf Club