Rory McIlroy makes his first start of 2024 in the Dubai Invitational.
Rory McIlroy opted out of the Sentry last week at Kapalua, preferring to kickstart his 2024 season in the Dubai Invitational at the Dubai Creek Resort.
McIlroy will be joined in the DP World Tour opener by his Ryder Cup-winning captain Luke Donald, as well as Tommy Fleetwood and Nicolai Hojgaard.
Click here for the DP World Tour schedule and 2024 major dates.
Who is the favourite to win the Dubai Invitational 2024?
Rory McIlroy is, unsurprisingly, the big favourite with the bookmakers to win the 2024 Dubai Invitational at a best price of 3/1 on Paddy Power (implied 25% chance).
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It is a brand new event to start the 'International Swing' on the DP World Tour. It will be staged biannually with a field consisting of 60 professional players and 60 amateurs.
It makes sense to consider desert form when deciding your betting angle this week, so look to recent editions of the Dubai Desert Classic, Abu Dhabi Championship, Ras Al Khaimah Championship, Qatar Masters and the DP World Tour Championship.
McIlroy won the Dubai Desert Classic, Victor Perez the Abu Dhabi Championship, Daniel Gavins landed the Ras Al Khaimah and Sami Valimaki the Qatar Masters, while Nicolai Hojgaard pipped Tommy Fleetwood to glory at the DP World Tour Championship in November.
Hojgaard, third favourite to win the 2024 Dubai Invitational, is 12/1 on BetMGM UK but as short as 9/1 with various other leading UK bookmakers.
2024 Dubai Invitational Odds
| Name | Best Price | Worst Price |
|---|---|---|
| Rory McIlroy | 3/1 | 12/5 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | 6/1 | 5/1 |
| Nicolai Hojgaard | 12/1 | 9/1 |
| Adrian Meronk | 16/1 | 12/1 |
| Rasmus Hojgaard | 16/1 | 12/1 |
Rory McIlroy Dubai Invitational Odds
| Rory McIlroy Odds | Best Price | Worst Price |
|---|---|---|
| To Win | 3/1 | 12/5 |
| To Place Top 5 | 5/8 | 8/13 |
| First Round Leader | 17/2 | 6/1 |
The first round leader market is important this week given how the two editions of the Dubai Desert Classic held at the Dubai Creek Resort have played out.
1999 winner David Howell was only two back after round one (6th), while 2000 winner Jose Coceres went wire-to-wire after an opening 64.
Dubai Invitational Tee Times
| Local Time | Tee | Group | Player 1 | Player 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08:35 | 1 | 1 | WEYAND, Ken | MANSELL, Richard |
| 08:46 | 1 | 2 | LONG, Hurly | BRUN, Julien |
| 08:57 | 1 | 3 | KIMSEY, Nathan | LOMBARD, Zander |
| 09:08 | 1 | 4 | ELVIRA, Nacho | GUERRIER, Julien |
| 09:19 | 1 | 5 | BACHEM, Nick | WILSON, Oliver |
| 09:30 | 1 | 6 | WU, Ashun | GAVINS, Daniel |
| 09:41 | 1 | 7 | SHINKWIN, Callum | BROWN, Daniel |
| 09:52 | 1 | 8 | SÖDERBERG, Sebastian | WHITNELL, Dale |
| 10:03 | 1 | 9 | HILLIER, Daniel | MCKIBBIN, Tom |
| 10:14 | 1 | 10 | HØJGAARD, Rasmus | CAMPILLO, Jorge |
| 10:25 | 1 | 11 | MOLINARI, Francesco | OLESEN, Thorbjørn |
| 10:36 | 1 | 12 | FLEETWOOD, Tommy | HØJGAARD, Nicolai |
| 10:47 | 1 | 13 | SIEM, Marcel | MIGLIOZZI, Guido |
| 10:58 | 1 | 14 | RAMSAY, Richie | SMITH, Jordan |
| 11:09 | 1 | 15 | LI, Haotong | STRYDOM, Ockie |
| 08:30 | 10 | 16 | LUITEN, Joost | CLEMENTS, Todd |
| 08:41 | 10 | 17 | FERGUSON, Ewen | OTAEGUI, Adrian |
| 08:52 | 10 | 18 | DONALD, Luke | PAUL, Yannik |
| 09:03 | 10 | 19 | MERONK, Adrian | LARRAZÁBAL, Pablo |
| 09:14 | 10 | 20 | MCILROY, Rory | FOX, Ryan |
| 09:25 | 10 | 21 | LAWRENCE, Thriston | ARNAUS, Adri |
| 09:36 | 10 | 22 | BJØRN, Thomas | LANGASQUE, Romain |
| 09:47 | 10 | 23 | BALDWIN, Matthew | CROCKER, Sean |
| 09:58 | 10 | 24 | FORSSTRÖM, Simon | KIEFFER, Maximilian |
| 10:09 | 10 | 25 | SAMOOJA, Kalle | DANTORP, Jens |
| 10:20 | 10 | 26 | FORREST, Grant | ROZNER, Antoine |
| 10:31 | 10 | 27 | HELLIGKILDE, Marcus | SOUTHGATE, Matthew |
| 10:42 | 10 | 28 | BRADBURY, Dan | WINTHER, Jeff |
| 10:53 | 10 | 29 | DU PLESSIS, Hennie | SYME, Connor |
| 11:04 | 10 | 30 | ARMITAGE, Marcus | HILL, Calum |
