The DP World Tour’s latest update on its Middle East finale has added another layer of uncertainty. A few weeks ago, CEO Guy Kinnings insisted that the plan to stage the playoffs in the UAE remained firmly in place. Yet reports of Spain and Portugal being considered as fallback options kept doubts alive. Now, a fresh update from the Asian Tour has brought the contrasting approaches of the two tours into focus.
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Front Office Sports’ David Rumsey reports that the DP World Tour is “still planning to conduct the final two events of its 2026 season” in the UAE next month. This comes even after the PIF Saudi International, the Asian Tour’s season finale scheduled for November 18-20, was postponed due to unrest in the Middle East.
A DP World Tour spokesperson reaffirmed the Tour’s plans while speaking to FOS:
“It is our intention to play the two play-off events as scheduled in the UAE next month, but we continue to monitor the situation and take advice from our international travel advisors.”
For context, the two events in question are the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, running from November 5 to 8, and the DP World Tour Championship, scheduled for November 12 to 15 in Dubai. These events form the playoffs that conclude the Race to Dubai, with a combined purse of $19 million. The dilemma is whether to take players and staff into a region affected by strikes amid the Iran conflict or relocate the finale built around Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Notably, the Tour has maintained this position for weeks. At the BMW PGA Championship, CEO Guy Kinnings told the press that the expectation was to play in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. It was later reported that the Tour was exploring options in Spain and Portugal if the situation made it unavoidable to move the events. However, no decision to relocate has been announced.
The Asian Tour, on the other hand, has taken a precautionary approach by postponing its championship amid the turbulent situation in the region.
Players, meanwhile, have expressed mixed views on the decision. Matt Fitzpatrick voiced his uncertainty at the BMW PGA Championship, saying, “Being completely honest, as things stand right now, I would not say I am that comfortable.”
Golf has faced this dilemma before
While the decision remains a critical one, this is not the first time the Tour has faced such a dilemma. The Dubai Desert Classic, founded in 1989, was cancelled in 1991 because of the Gulf War. In 1990, rising tensions with Iraq also led to withdrawals from the event.
Furthermore, in 2011, similar unrest left the European Tour uncertain about the venue for the Volvo Golf Champions. The Tour eventually postponed the event until 2012, delaying its return rather than cancelling it outright.
This year has brought its own disruptions. The HotelPlanner Tour withdrew its sanction from an event in India in March because of travel disruptions across the region.
For now, however, the DP World Tour remains committed to staging its season-ending playoffs in the UAE, while continuing to monitor the situation and assess the risks.