Fleetwood eyes ‘very special’ first DP World Tour Championship win

Tommy Fleetwood feels it would be ‘very special’ to cap a memorable year by winning the DP World Tour Championship for the first time in a city he now calls home.

The Dubai resident has come close to winning the season finale in the past, finishing second in 2019 and 2023, but has yet to get his hands on the trophy.

But Englishman Fleetwood comes into this year’s edition in sparkling form, having ended his long wait for a first PGA Tour title at the Tour Championship to capture the FedExCup in August, played a key role in Europe’s historic away Ryder Cup victory at Bethpage Black in September and won the DP World India Championship last month.

He also went close at last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship but lost out to Aaron Rai in a tense play-off on Sunday.

The World Number Four is hoping to go one better this week as he looks to finish a stellar 2025 in style and add another Rolex Series crown to the two he has.

Fleetwood said: “This is the last event I’m going to play this year. It has been a great year.

“So yeah, this will be an amazing way to finish, for sure. My whole family are here. Lots of familiar faces, a course that I know well, and I live very, very close.

“Again, it would be very special to be on the 18th green having won. I’ve probably had a couple of chances in this tournament over the years.

“I’d like to do a bit better than that. I’d like to present myself with a few more chances. I can clearly see that image in my head. I know it so well. We’ll strive for that and see what we can do.

“I think it’s turning into and already is quite an iconic course for us now on the Tour. Nice for me to be in my own bed again.”

Fleetwood is looking on the bright side as he reflects on last week’s near-miss at Yas Links, where he posted rounds of 64, 66, 67 and 66 to finish the event on 25 under par.

He added: “It was a great tournament, it really, really was. I think there were so many positives for me.

“Again, I feel like I played so well and played so consistently throughout the week. Gave myself chances coming down the stretch. I hit great putts coming down the stretch. Had a go. Yeah, another really, really good week.

“Like I say, it’s easy to just feel that disappointment when you come so close. But Aaron was amazing. He totally deserves it.

“And for me, another week, all the positives and now one more week to go in the season now.”

Prost, Gullit and Leconte lead sporting icons at the event

A stellar line-up of sporting legends descended on Jumeirah Golf Estates for the DP World Tour Championship Pro-Am, marking the first time in tournament history that spectators were invited to witness the popular curtain-raiser ahead of this week’s season finale.

The event attracted stars from across the worlds of Formula One, football, tennis and padel, with four-time Formula One World Champion Alain Prost, Dutch football icon Ruud Gullit, and former World No. 5 tennis star Henri Leconte among the headline participants teeing it up alongside DP World Tour professionals.

Prost, who has been a regular on the fairways in recent years, was paired with DP World Tour professional Laurie Canter and spoke enthusiastically about his return to the Earth course.

“I was playing a lot of golf 30 years ago, before stopping completely,” said Prost. “But I’ve got back into the game in the last few years since being invited by DP World to play in the Pro-Am for the first time in 2022. I enjoy it a lot, I played quite badly the first time I played here, but now I’m a lot better. Golf is always nice here – a great atmosphere and ambience.”

Gullit, the former AC Milan and Chelsea star who captained the Netherlands to victory at UEFA Euro 1988, played alongside DP World Tour professional Joost Luiten and relished his first Pro-Am appearance at the venue.

“Joost is great, I’ve known him for a long time, so it’s good to see him here,” said Gullit, who plays off a handicap of five. “My first time playing in the Pro-Am here. I’ve been here a lot of times watching the final day, but now to play it, it’s a totally different thing! Are there enough bunkers here? My goodness!

“I played well, I really did. Too many pars, but I made a couple of birdies, so I’m happy with that.”

The Pro-Am field also featured former World No. 1 padel player Paquito Navarro, who will compete at Dubai Premier Padel later this week. Through a collaboration with Dubai Premier Padel, guests attending the DP World Tour Championship can enjoy free padel lessons and activations across all four tournament days.

Navarro was joined by cricket star Liam Livingstone, Dubai-based World No. 35 tennis player Alexei Popyrin, and Premier League stalwart James Milner, all of whom brought their competitive edge to the immaculate fairways of the Earth course.

Meanwhile, DP World and the DP World Tour have extended their long-term partnership, reaffirming a shared commitment to growing the game of golf.

Under the new agreement, the largest in the Tour’s history, DP World will continue as Title Partner and Official Logistics Partner until 2035.

The original agreement, which started in 2022 and saw the European Tour renamed the DP World Tour, supported the continued expansion of golf’s global Tour – playing 42 tournaments in 26 different countries this season – with record prize funds and an expanding fan base, making golf more global, more inclusive and better connected than ever before.

Guy Kinnings, Chief Executive Officer of the DP World Tour, said, “The first stage of our landmark Title Partner relationship has been focused on raising awareness globally of the DP World brand and building a strong pipeline of new business leads for their sector-leading services. Over the past four years, that has been a tremendous success.”

“The partnership has also evolved and will see DP World continue to become an integral cog in delivering our global tournament schedule, utilising their supply chain expertise. This is a truly integrated partnership that will continue to deepen over the next decade. This agreement also shows the continued strength of the DP World Tour, which is enjoying growth in our fan base and spectator numbers, as well as our partnership portfolio. DP World’s decision to invest in the DP World Tour for another decade is further proof that the DP World Tour is going from strength to strength,” he added.