The Dubai Desert Classic marks the opening Rolex Series event on the DP World Tour’s 2026 schedule and follows on from the Dubai Invitational as the second successive tournament held in the UAE.

big names and notable faces fell at the halfway stage and are no longer in the running for the historic title or any prize money.

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And that is a great shame for those players because – for the fourth year in a row – the Dubai Desert Classic is putting up a $9 million prize purse to be shared out among those who play all four rounds.

Raised from $8 million in 2023, McIlroy has twice won the top prize of more than $1.5 million while Tyrrell Hatton scooped the biggest check on offer here 12 months ago. Neither are likely to repeat in 2026, however, with Patrick Reed four strokes clear heading into the final round.

Tyrrell Hatton crouches down next to the 2025 Dubai Desert Classic trophy

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Unlike last year, though, the Dubai Desert Classic cannot boast the largest prize purse in pro golf this week because the PGA Tour’s American Express has increased its own pot of cash from $8.8 million to $9.2 million.

Regardless, the player who finishes solo second in Dubai is set to land just under $1 million. Although, given the number of takeaways pros have to deal with, the amount of money all pro golfers will actually see after the checks drop is far less.

Due to the Dubai Desert Classic’s status as Rolex Series event, there is also an increased number of Race To Dubai points on offer. So far this season, tournaments have offered 3,000-4,000 RTD points, but this week’s tournament will give out 8,000.

Below is the complete prize money breakdown for the 2026 Dubai Desert Classic, with the maximum payout listed for each position based on no ties and a total of 70 players making the cut.