The International Swing continues as the first regular DP World Tour event of 2025 takes place at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship. Here are your five things to know.
Olesen defends
We return to the scene of the most comprehensive win of last season after Thorbjørn Olesen's spectacular six-shot victory 12 months ago. The Dane entered the final day at Al Hamra Golf Club four shots clear of Rasmus Højgaard but saw that lead wiped out within seven holes as his countryman made a blistering start. A stunning eagle and three-shot swing on the next completely changed the complexion of the day, however, and Olesen eased to victory at 27 under after a closing 67. "It's very special," said UAE-based Olesen, whose family were present to see his win. "Standing here with (son) Cooper makes it a little more special. It was still a battle out there, it got close and you've got one of the most talented players right behind you so I knew it was going to be tough and we were tied for the lead very quickly. I played some nice golf coming in and holed the right putts at the right time." The win was Olesen's eighth on the DP World Tour and he is the only player to have won in each of the last three campaigns - can he make it four with a successful defence this week?
The race to catch Hatton begins
Tyrrell Hatton's victory at last week's Hero Dubai Desert Classic has given him a commanding lead in the International Swing Rankings but with six events to go including this week and 20,000 Race to Dubai points on offer, it is still all to play for. The winner this week will take home 585,000 points, with the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship, Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, Magical Kenya Open, Investec South African Open Championship and Joburg Open to follow on golf's global tour. A win this week for Daniel Hiller would even take the New Zelander above Hatton and he said after finishing runner-up at Emirates Golf Club: "One of my goals is to get off to a better start than I did the last couple of seasons." The winner of the International Swing will gain entry into every event on the Race to Dubai's Second Phase, the Back 9, and a USD$200,000 bonus. There is also an exemption into the Genesis Scottish Open up for grabs. The chase is on.
Major champions on show
A trio of Major winners tee it up this week, with regular visitor to Ras Al Khaimah Pádraig Harrington joined by Americans Jimmy Walker and Patrick Reed. Irishman Harrington famously claimed three Majors in 13 months as he took two Opens and a US PGA Championship and since then has added a Ryder Cup captaincy to his remarkable CV. He has finished in the top 30 at this event iin the past two seasons and said in Dubai last week that he still has big dreams in the game at the age of 53. Walker won the 2016 US PGA Championship for his sixth PGA TOUR win in three years and was a Ryder Cupper in 2014 and 2016 before ill health affected his career. Top-15s at the national opens of Ireland and Spain last season, however, suggest he could still contend for a first regular DP World Tour win this week. Reed, meanwhile, arrives off the back of a top ten in Dubai last week and is also looking for a first regular victory to go with his 2018 Masters triumph and two World Golf Championships wins.
Robert Karlsson returns
Harrington is not the only member of DP World Tour royalty in the field this week as Robert Karlsson makes his first start since the 2021 BMW PGA Championship. The towering Swede comes into the week with 634 DP World Tour appearances, 11 wins and a Harry Vardon Trophy from 2008. He also made two Ryder Cup playing appearances and twice served as a Vice Captain before moving into the seniors game and makes his return at the age of 55. Welcome back Robert!
Inside the field
The Ras Al Khaimah Championship represents the first regular DP World Tour event of 2025 after the Team Cup and the Rolex Series Hero Dubai Desert Classic and players arrive with plenty of different ambitions. For the likes of dual members Paul Waring and Ryan Fox, it is a chance to rack up vital Race to Dubai points before getting their PGA TOUR seasons under way, while some are getting their DP World Tour seasons started again after not being in the field in Dubai. HotelPlanner Tour graduates Oliver Lindell and Angel Ayora are back in action after their impressive starts to the season, as is Global Amateur Pathway Rankings winner Ding Wenyi, who is the last man in the field.
