Dubai-based Horsey eyes DP World Tour return as strong UAE contingent heads to Al Ain

Four-time DP World Tour winner David Horsey heads a strong UAE-based contingent when the Abu Dhabi Challenge gets under way at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club on Wednesday, with a return to the DP World Tour within touching distance.

The Dubai-based Englishman sits 15th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, with the top 15 at the end of the season earning DP World Tour cards.

He returns to an event where he finished tied 18th last year, as the HotelPlanner Tour visits Al Ain for a third successive year from Wednesday, September 30 to Saturday, October 3.

"It's nice to feel like a local, and I feel like I've got a bit of an advantage in a way, especially with the heat. I'm looking forward to playing as a local boy," said Horsey.

Horsey arrives with one of the most decorated records in the field. He won four times on the DP World Tour between 2010 and 2015, starting with the BMW International Open and including the Trophée Hassan II, the M2M Russian Open and Made in Denmark, and rose to 77th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

He also represented Great Britain & Ireland in the Walker Cup and the Seve Trophy.

His record on the HotelPlanner Tour is just as strong. Horsey won twice in 2008 on his way to topping the season rankings.

Last June, he added a third title at the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge in France, winning a four-man play-off with a birdie at the first extra hole.

"I feel like my game is probably as good as it's been, and I feel more in control of it than ever before. I've just got to make it count and keep doing the right things," he added.

Horsey is one of 12 UAE-based players in the field.

They include Garrick Porteous, who won the tournament in 2024 on its first visit to Al Ain with a 24-under-par total, finishing one shot clear of Alexander Lévy.

Now a teaching professional at Trump International Golf Club, Dubai, Porteous won The Amateur Championship in 2013, which earned him starts at The Open and the Masters Tournament, and he also claimed the 2017 Prague City Challenge.

Also taking up an invitation from co-organiser and sanctioning body the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) is Jackson Bell, Senior Golf Professional at the Tommy Fleetwood Academy at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Bell is the No.1-ranked PGA Professional in the UAE, earned his place by winning this year's Order of Merit, and arrives in form after winning the first PGA event of the new season at Yas Links last week.

"Teeing it up alongside DP World Tour winners, guys you grew up watching on TV, is amazing," said Bell. "To be playing in the same field as them shows you're doing something right."

The UAE-based contingent is completed by Adri Arnaus, Dominic Foos, Jack Davidson, Luke Joy, David Gray, Damien Scott, amateur Jay Mullane and Emiratis Ahmad Skaik and Ahmed Al Musharekh.

Skaik is making his third appearance at the event and last year became the first Emirati to make the cut in a European Tour group event at the UAE Challenge at Al Zorah Golf and Yacht Club. 

The par-70 Championship Course stretches to 7,117 yards and brings water into play on the majority of holes, with several fairways bordered by Al Ain's horse racing track.

Its signature hole, the par-five 10th, measures 678 yards and is the longest par five in the Arabian Gulf.

"Normally it plays quite firm and the greens are always immaculate, so the scoring is always very good," said Horsey. "From what I hear, there's going to be a bit more rough, so it sounds like it's shaping up to be a bit more of a challenge this week."

The Abu Dhabi Challenge is also the final opportunity for players to secure their place in the Tour's two season-ending events in China, with only the leading 68 players on the Road to Mallorca Rankings advancing once play concludes in Al Ain.

The tournament has a strong record as a springboard, with former champions Renato Paratore and Ricardo Gouveia both going on to secure DP World Tour promotion.

The tournament is staged in partnership with the EGF and supported by Abu Dhabi Sports Council.

Spectators can watch free of charge throughout the week, and are encouraged to make more of their visit to the Al Ain Region, named Arab Tourism Capital 2026.