{"id":13331,"date":"2026-09-21T13:47:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T13:47:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/pros\/13331\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T13:47:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T13:47:15","slug":"dp-world-tour-considers-moving-season-ending-championship-due-to-middle-east-conflict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/pros\/13331\/","title":{"rendered":"DP World Tour considers moving season-ending championship due to Middle East conflict"},"content":{"rendered":"

The DP World Tour is exploring a contingency plan to relocate their season-ending championship to Spain due the conflict in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

The Race to Dubai season is scheduled to reach its climax in November with play-off events at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi and then Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.<\/p>\n

\"Rory<\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

The Race to Dubai season will be decided in November, with Rory McIlroy boasting a dominant record at the Jumeirah Golf EstatesCredit: Getty<\/p>\n

But due to the political tension in the region this year, major doubts have emerged over the safety of the two showpiece tournaments.<\/p>\n

While bosses at the tour’s Wentworth base still intend to stage their Tour Championship in Dubai in the second week of November, they are now understood to be exploring alternative arrangements.<\/p>\n

This would be in the event of escalations in the military activity between Israel, Iran and the United States.<\/p>\n

The Daily Mail report that Real Club\u00a0de Golf\u00a0Sotogrande in Cadiz, Spain has been discussed internally as a back-up plan.<\/p>\n

Most read in Football<\/p>\n

Sotogrande has previously hosted the DP World Tour’s Andalucia Masters, which was last staged in 2024.<\/p>\n

Clubs in Portugal are also reportedly among the potential back-up options being explored, although Tour sources stress a change in venue is currently unlikely.<\/p>\n

Plans to remain in Middle East<\/p>\n

DP World Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings\u00a0recently confirmed the plan is to keep the season-ending Play-Offs in the Middle East, despite ongoing conflict in the region.<\/p>\n

Kinnigns told Sky Sports: “A lot of people are asking and it’s an obvious question. <\/p>\n

“The reality is we expect every intention to be playing in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.<\/p>\n

“Work has started and we’re building stuff at Yas Links and at the Jumeirah Golf Estates, so our intention is to go ahead.<\/p>\n

\"Yas<\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

The Abu Dhabi Championship at Yas Links is scheduled to take place from November 5-8Credit: Getty<\/p>\n

“We clearly need to keep in touch with travel advisors and other people who help with us, but our plan is definitely to play the Play-Offs in the UAE.”<\/p>\n

Despite this, the Mail report stresses the situation is being actively monitored, with a switch set to affect both the DP World Tour Championship and the Abu Dhabi Championship – which takes place a week prior.<\/p>\n

Fitzpatrick voices concern<\/p>\n

Concerns over the location of the season-ending events in the Middle East became a talking point among some high-profile golf stars at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last week.<\/p>\n

Matt Fitzpatrick, who won the DP World Tour Championship last year, is not comfortable with heading to the Middle East this autumn.<\/p>\n

Fitzpatrick, who became a father for the first time this summer, said: “Being completely honest as things stand right now, I would say I’m not that comfortable. No, I wouldn’t be that comfortable.<\/p>\n

“A few things have obviously changed for me, perspective and stuff. I’ve had a child in August, and that obviously kind of changes things, I guess, a bit more.<\/p>\n

\"Matt<\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

Matt Fitzpatrick won in Dubai last yearCredit: Getty<\/p>\n

“I think just in the case of what you read on news, I know the news, where you get your news isn’t always – can be very one-sided, particularly in the US, but I think for me, as things right now, it would feel a little bit weird, given what I’m reading elsewhere.<\/p>\n

“Things can change overnight, I’m sure. I think it seems to be going down that path of things are getting better. I’ve sort of looked on the UK website, I know they have changed from essential travel only to one step better than that.”<\/p>\n

He added: “I think if the tour do go [ahead with it], I’m sure they have had the best advice possible on what that looks like.<\/p>\n

“As things stand right now, I wouldn’t necessarily be too keen on going. I know there’s been discussions on what Formula 1 is doing. I don’t know the rumours that side but I’ve heard they might not be going there, so begs the question, would we, I guess.”<\/p>\n

While Fitzpatrick had reservations, Rory McIlroy – who has won the last three Race to Dubai events – took a different view.<\/p>\n

The Masters champion said: ‘If the local governments feel like it’s safe to put on these events, they are not going to put their citizens or people visiting in harm’s way, I imagine.<\/p>\n

\"Jumeirah<\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

Jumeirah Golf Estates plays host to the DP World Tour ChampionshipCredit: Getty<\/p>\n

“I love the Middle East. I have a lot of friends there, and I’m looking forward to going back for sure.”<\/p>\n

Question marks over the staging of the DP World Tour’s season-ending events come as US President Donald Trump considers escalatory strikes in Iran, as a trip to Camp David was cut short over the weekend.<\/p>\n

Trump told Fox News on Sunday that ‘some Iranian officials are in hiding, and we can’t find anyone capable of striking a deal.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

He also revealed he was in ‘deciding mode’, and warned ‘very big things’ are set to happen in the war between the US and Iran.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read More on talkSPORT<\/p>\n

This week, Trump is set to attend the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York, where he disclosed he would ‘probably be open’ to meeting with Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian.<\/p>\n

Trump also told Fox News: “My question is, if and when do I blow the entire nation up?’, before adding: “They better behave.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The DP World Tour is exploring a contingency plan to relocate their season-ending championship to Spain due the…","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13332,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"csco_display_header_overlay":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_volume":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[332,1263,15,58,4678,3359,17,1589],"class_list":["post-13331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rory-mcilroy","tag-dp-world-tour","tag-dp-world-tour-championship","tag-golf","tag-matt-fitzpatrick","tag-middle-east","tag-race-to-dubai","tag-rory-mcilroy","tag-spain","cs-entry","cs-video-wrap"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@fogolf\/117309340874296752","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/pros\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/pros\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/pros\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/pros\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/pros\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13331"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/pros\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13331\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/pros\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/pros\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/pros\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fogolf.com\/pros\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}