The opening event on the DP World Tour’s ‘International Swing’ will see the Tour make a long-awaited return to Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club for the Dubai Invitational.

Golf Digest Middle East exclusively caught up with Non-Executive Director at the European Tour group and Tournament Host, Abdulla Al Naboodah, as he explained how the Invitational became an official DP World Tour event. 

Abdulla, it’s been eight months in your new position as Non-Executive Director at The European Tour Group, how has it all been?

It’s been very busy, but enjoyable. I had worked closely with many people at the European Tour group for a number of years prior to joining the Board, but it has been great to meet some new people and take on a more formal role alongside those who I did know already. I started in April, shortly after the Sports Resolutions decision, and we signed the Framework Agreement with the PGA TOUR and the PIF at the beginning of June, so it’s certainly been an important time in terms of governance. There is a huge amount of experience on the Tour’s Board and the Executive Leadership Team, and I’m pleased to give the Middle East a voice and contribute with my own experience.  

Golf in the UAE just seems to be getting bigger and better every year in both the professional and at an amateur level, what do you think that is down to?

There has been a sustained, long-term commitment from many different partners working together. The Tour has been coming to the UAE since 1989 and the transformation has been massive since then, especially in terms of golf courses, tourism and domestic participation.  Having so many of the world’s best players compete in the region has undoubtedly increased awareness and interest in golf, but it is important that you then have the structures in place to develop the game at grassroots and junior level. The work of Emirates Golf Federation has been crucial in this sense, and it was another important step to formalise the EGF’s relationship with the Tour last year which will help to develop golf in the United Arab Emirates until at least 2031. We had two Challenge Tour events in Abu Dhabi earlier this year which were a great success, and they will be an important part of our strategy going forward, helping to create playing opportunities and provide a pathway for Emirati golfers. 

‘The Invitational’ Pro-Am you previously hosted at Al Badia, Dubai Creek and Yas Links. Where did the initial idea for it come from?

I took up golf in 2006 and it quickly became a big part of my life. It is such a unique sport, where players of different abilities and ages can play alongside each other and enjoy the game together. The Invitational began a year later in 2007 as we thought it was a great opportunity to do something different in the UAE.  Pro-Ams have been very popular around the world for a long time, giving amateurs from across business, sport and entertainment the chance to play alongside some of the world’s best players in a relaxed but competitive team format. The Invitational has provided extensive networking opportunities since it began, but above all it has raised a significant amount of money for charity, which was the main objective when we started 16 years ago. 

As is it developed over the years, if you were to pick some golfing highlights and key moments, what would they be?  

It’s always hard to pick out particular moments, but for me the satisfaction has been from raising so much money for charity, first and foremost, and then seeing the enjoyment it has brought to people who have played in it. Our amateur guests have played alongside Major Champions and Ryder Cup players. In which other sport would you be able to do that? 

You are host of this year’s ‘Dubai Invitational’ on the DP World Tour, the opening event on the ‘International Swing’, how excited are you for both the event and especially the Pro-Am team event being played simultaneously?

We felt for few years now there was potential to make the Invitational into an official event on the DP World Tour. I’m delighted we have now been able to do that, with a four day, 72-hole stroke play tournament for the 60 professionals, played concurrently with a three-day 54 hole team Pro-Am, featuring the 60 amateurs each paired with a pro partner to make a team. The team score will be the aggregate of the lower of the two team members score on each hole over three rounds from Thursday to Saturday, with only the professionals playing the fourth and final round for their Pro Individual Competition. The plan is to hold the Dubai Invitational every other year, alternating with the Hero Cup which was also a big success when it was played in Abu Dhabi at the start of 2023. It will start five consecutive weeks in the Middle East on the DP World Tour with the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, the Bahrain Championship and the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. This is a new chapter for the Invitational event and I hope it will bring even greater awareness in the UAE to the Pro-Am format which, as I mentioned earlier, is such a unique selling point for golf. 

With Rory McIlroy set to headline the field, can you give us an insight to the amateurs taking part?

I was delighted that Rory committed so early to the event. He has such a strong history with Dubai, having lived here early in his career and had so much success, including his first Tour victory in 2009. He won his fifth Race to Dubai crown last month and he will defend his Hero Dubai Desert Classic title the week after he plays in the Dubai Invitational. We also have Nicolai Højgaard, who won the DP World Tour Championship last month, and Ryan Fox, meaning three of the top five on the 2023 Race to Dubai are in the field.  Overall, we have 60 fantastic professionals for the 60 amateurs to play alongside at Dubai Creek Resort. We are just in the process of finalising and announcing the amateur field, but we have a strong mix from the world of sport, entertainment, business and from across the golf industry.  It will be a great networking opportunity and I am sure it will be a great way to start the 2024 calendar year and a new chapter for this event. 

What is it about the Pro-Am part of the game that draws you to it and makes it so enjoyable for both professionals and amateurs?

The format really makes it such a great experience for the amateurs. Not only do they get the to watch the professionals play up close, they also get to compete alongside them as part of a team. The handicap system means their score can count on a hole and contribute to the team’s total. In the Dubai Invitational, the amateurs will also get the chance to play with a different professional each day, which further enhances the overall experience for them. The Pro-Am format can also be beneficial for the professionals too as they are able to enjoy a Team element, unlike the purely individual pursuit that professional golf is for the majority of the time.