Elway, Fitzgerald and Yorke head Amateur filed at Dubai Invitational

NFL legends John Elway and Larry Fitzgerald will be joined by football star Dwight Yorke as part of a 60-strong amateur field teeing off Thursday at the inaugural Dubai Invitational.

Playing alongside the amateurs will be 60 DP World Tour professionals, including World No.2 Rory McIlroy, European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, World Number 15 Tommy Fleetwood, four-time DP World Tour winner Ryan Fox, and DP World Tour Championship 2023 winner Nicolai Hojgaard.

Taking place from Jan.11-14, 2024 at Dubai Creek Resort, the Dubai Invitational will see a 72-hole strokeplay DP World Tour tournament played concurrently with a three-day team Pro-Am, with Sunday featuring professionals only.

Elway is widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks of all time while Fitzgerald, who spent 17 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, is one of the greatest wide receivers to ever play the game. Yorke, who enjoyed a 19-year professional football career, won the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League with Manchester United.

Tom Phillips, Head of Middle East for the DP World Tour, said: "We can’t wait to welcome all the professionals, amateurs, and thousands of fans from around the world to Dubai Creek Resort this week. It’s always exciting to launch a new event on the DP World Tour calendar and Dubai, with its stunning courses, superb weather, and passionate golf fans, is the perfect place to do so.”

The Dubai Invitational will not only showcase world-class golf but also offer spectators a range of exciting activities and experiences to enjoy, including golf activations.

Graham Glynn, Championship Director, Dubai Invitational and DP World Tour, added: "It has been a pleasure to work with all our partners, sponsors and the superb team here at Dubai Creek Resort to deliver a world-class course and venue for the inaugural Dubai Invitational. We’re looking forward to the tournament beginning tomorrow and delivering a historic event for everyone to enjoy.”

The Dubai Invitational will see 3,000 Race to Dubai points on offer to the professional field, with players competing for a $2.5 million prize fund and the winner earning $425,000.

The team Pro-Am competition will be played in teams of one amateur and one professional, with the team score the aggregate of the lower of the two team members’ scores on each hole over three rounds. For the third round, the leading amateur in the team competition will be paired with the leading professional of the individual professional competition and so on.

The first event on the International Swing on the DP World Tour's new 2024 schedule, the Dubai Invitational will be played in 2024, 2026 and 2028.