Rory McIlroy gives his opinion on the golf course at the Dubai Desert Classic following previous criticism of the DP World Tour 

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Rory McIlroy is making his first competitive appearance of 2025 at this week’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club.

The Northern Irishman is the defending champion and will look to start his season on a high before heading to California for the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach.

McIlroy is part of a stacked field in Dubai, with LIV stars Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Patrick Reed also competing. Fans can attend the Dubai Desert Classic for free after organisers confirmed there would be no general admission fee.

It promises to be a closely fought contest, but McIlroy is once again the clear favourite.

What Rory McIlroy has said about the Majlis Course

The Majlis Course will host this week’s Dubai Desert Classic, and the Northern Irishman is looking to repeat his 14-under-par victory from 12 months ago.

14 under is by no means a low score by today’s modern standards, and the four-time major winner likes how the course punishes those who aggressively target pins.

McIlroy said: “It’s amazing. I love the setup. The one thing that I’ve always — I’ve probably slightly criticised the European Tour on their setups is if you look at, like out on the 9th green there, the fringe here over the years, the greens got smaller and the fringe got bigger. So say you had a pin that was cut three off the right-hand side of the green. Well, it’s really cut off that — it’s really six yards until you get yourself into trouble whether it’s a bunker or the rough or whatever. I find it very — it wasn’t easy to short-side yourself.”

He added: “So it made around the greens like a little easier, and then I think what happens then, it really bunches the field together. Where if you look now, the fringe have been shrunk. The rough has come closer to the green. There’s more of that element of short-siding yourself. So then that goes back to the approach play. Players are going to think twice about taking on a shot.

“They are going to play a little safer into the middle of the green, and I think it becomes a really good test that way. So I love the thick rough. I love the setup of the golf course. The greens are quite a bit firmer today than they were on Monday. So as the week goes on, I think it’s going to be a great test of golf, which I think we all want to play, and I think that’s what you all want to watch.”

• READ MORE: Rory McIlroy explains his new training method after being spotted with a ‘shorter club’ ahead of the Dubai Desert Classic

When is Rory McIlroy playing next?

Upon the conclusion of the Dubai Desert Classic, McIlroy will head back to Florida and prepare for his first TGL match. McIlroy’s Boston Common will play Tiger Woods’ Jupiter Links GC on January 27 at the SoFi Centre.

So far, The Bay Golf Club has beaten New York Golf Club and Jupiter were thrashed by Los Angeles GC on gameweek two.

According to McIlroy’s schedule, the Northern Irishman will then skip the Farmers Insurance at Torrey Pines and head straight to Pebble Beach for what will be his first PGA Tour appearance of 2025.

After the AT&T, the four-time major winner will likely take a week off during the WM Phoenix Open before teeing it up at the Genesis Invitational.