Hero tee up third title sponsorship on 2023 DP World Tour through Dubai Desert Classic

Hero MotoCorp’s huge commitment to golf is being underlined in 2023, when it will be the title partner of no less than three events on the DP World Tour.

Dr Pawan Munjal, Chairman and CEO of Hero MotoCorp, shake hands with Guy Kinnings, European Ryder Cup Director and the DP World Tour’s Deputy CEO and Chief Commercial Officer, at the launch of the new Hero Cup. The company has also now become the title Dubai Desert Classic title partner. Picture: Warren Little/Getty Images.

It follows the Indian-based company, which is the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles, adding the Dubai Desert Classic to the new Hero Cup and Indian Open to its sponsorship portfolio.

The new agreement for the DP World Tour’s longest-running event in the Middle East extends Hero MotoCorp’s long-term relationship with the circuit.

That began in 2015 at the Hero Indian Open and, since then, Hero has also supported the Hero Challenge, a number of which were staged in Scotlandd, as well as the Hero Open, which featured on the DP World Tour schedule from 2020 to 2022.

The Hero Dubai Desert Classic will be the second Rolex Series event of the 2023 season when it takes place at Emirates Golf Club on 26-29 January.

The 34th edition of the Dubai Desert Classic takes place at Emirates Golf Club on 26-29 January, when a stellar field will be headed by world No 1 and two-time winner Rory McIlroy.

That comes just a fortnight after the Hero Cup, a new team match-play contest aimed at helping European players prepare for the Ryder Cup in September, in Abu Dhabi.

Dr Pawan Munjal, chairman & CEO, Hero MotoCorp, said: “We continue to have a long-term partnership with the DP World Tour; and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic is an extension of this engagement.

“We are delighted to be associated with this iconic event and will now be supporting two much-awaited marquee tournaments in the Middle East – the Hero Cup and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic – as part of the traditional Desert Swing.

“It surely promises to be an exciting start to the season, and we look forward to seeing world-class golf on display.”

Hero MotorCorp is also a title partner on the PGA Tour, having supported the Hero World Challenge, hosted by Tiger Woods, since 2014. It was won for the second year running by Norway’s Viktor Hovland in December.

Simon Corkill, the Hero Dubai Desert Classic’s tournament director, said: “Hero have been supportive of golf, and particularly innovation in the game, for a number of years and we look forward to working together to continue the evolution of the tournament as we enter our second year as part of the Rolex Series.”