Abu Dhabi Championship will switch to November next year as new Dubai event also planned

The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship will move from its traditional start-of-the-year slot to become part of a new season-climax play-off next year, as part of a major revamp of the DP World Tour.

The tournament at Yas Links will switch from January to instead take place from November 7 to 10 in 2024.

It will be the first event of a new, two-tournament play-off, with the traditional season-ending event, the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates, to follow a week later.

Golf fans in the UAE will still have plenty of tour action to feast on at the start of 2024, with the addition of a new tournament.

Dubai Creek, which hosted the Dubai Desert Classic twice, will return to the tour when it hosts the new Dubai Invitational from January 11 to 14.

The Classic is scheduled at Emirates Golf Club the following week, before the tour heads to Al Hamra for the Ras Al Khaimah Championship the week after that.

The new-look Desert Swing concludes from February 1 to 4 with the new Bahrain Championship.

The new season will incorporate a minimum of 44 tournaments in 24 countries across five continents, with a total prize fund of $148.5 million – excluding the majors.

The 2024 Race to Dubai will feature three phases. Five "global swings" will take place from November 2023 to August 2024.

The second phase, from September 2024 to October 2024, is termed the "Back nine" and features nine of the tour's "most historic" tournaments and national opens.

The concluding two tournament play-off in Abu Dhabi and Dubai is the new finale to the season.

The tournament in the capital will feature the leading 70 players on the Race to Dubai rankings while the top 50 at the end of that tournament qualify for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

At the conclusion of the 2024 season, the leading 10 players will share a $6 million bonus pool.

"Our 2024 season will see our members come together to compete across a global schedule, with greater opportunities and rewards than ever before," said Keith Pelley, the DP World Tour’s chief executive.

"The many new and original enhancements we have introduced will guarantee drama and excitement for our fans, our broadcasters and all our stakeholders across the entire season and means, more than ever, that every week counts on the DP World Tour."

Series information

Pakistan v Dubai

First Test, Dubai International Stadium

Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11

Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20

Play starts at 10am each day

Teams

Pakistan

1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza

Australia

1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland

While you're here

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Editorial: The fight against Covid-19 should be guided by science

White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogenChromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxideUltramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica contentOphiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on landOlivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour

What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

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In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

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Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.