The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Men's Golf's Maas receives exemption into DP World Tour’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic
12.04.2025 | Men's Golf
Senior Christiaan Maas will compete in the prestigious Rolex Series event on Jan. 22-25 at Emirates Golf Club.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — University of Texas senior Christiaan Maas has received an exemption into the DP World Tour's Hero Dubai Desert Classic, tournament officials and PGA TOUR University announced Thursday. Maas will compete in the Rolex Series event on January 22-25, 2026, at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai, UAE.
Maas is No. 5 in the latest World Amateur Golf Ranking (Dec. 3) and No. 2 in the latest PGA TOUR University Class of 2026 rankings (Dec. 3). He claimed three top-10 individual finishes in five events during the fall season at Texas, earning a tie for second at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational (Sept. 29-30), a tie for third at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup (Sept. 15-16) and a tie for sixth at the Sahalee Players Championship (Sept. 6-7).
"I'm very honored to receive this opportunity," Maas said. "I feel like I've watched this specific tournament my whole life. I've always loved the end of the year, beginning of the year sequence of the DP World Tour because you've got the Nedbank (Golf Challenge) and Alfred Dunhill events in South Africa and then you have the tournaments in Dubai where all the big players always tend to come out. Tiger Woods also played in this event a couple of times. I've watched all the highlights from this tournament for the last 15 years, and it always has great coverage. I'm obviously extremely excited to compete in this tournament, as it will be my first time in Dubai and it's going to be awesome!"
Maas also paced Team South Africa to the team title at the 2025 World Amateur Team Championships (Oct. 8-11) in Singapore. He became the first individual from South Africa and first from the African continent to win the individual title at the World Amateur Team Championships with a four-round score of 22-under 266 (66-66-65-69), 10 shots in front of runner-up Declan O'Donovan (Australia). In addition, Maas competed in the DP World Tour's Investec South African Open last March as an amateur and earned a tie for fourth-place showing.
The Dubai Desert Classic was founded in 1989 as the first DP World Tour event to take place in the Gulf, and the first and only GEO-certified golf event in the Middle East, highlighting the event's continued dedication to environmental responsibility and sustainable golf events. Regarded as one of the most significant events on the DP World Tour, and part of the prestigious Rolex Series, it has been credited with paving the way for golf's presence in the Middle East, as well as creating some of the most iconic moments in golfing history.
"We're thrilled to welcome Christiaan to the 2026 Hero Dubai Desert Classic," said Simon Corkill, Executive Tournament Director of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. "His record speaks for itself – winning the Eisenhower Trophy with South Africa and also winning the individual title at the World Amateur Team Championship by 10 shots is a phenomenal achievement. The PGA TOUR University exemption has become one of the highlights of our tournament. Last year, David Ford shared the first-round lead on his DP World Tour debut, and we've seen the likes of Ludvig Åberg and Michael Thorbjornsen make their mark here before going on to great success as professionals. We're excited to see what Christiaan can do on the Majlis Course. We have a great history of providing amateur golfers with a platform for success with former champions Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau both playing in the Dubai Desert Classic as amateurs."
Players Mentioned
