PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – South Africa’s Christiaan Maas, currently a senior at the University of Texas and ranked No. 2 in the PGA TOUR University Class of 2026, has received an exemption into the DP World Tour’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic, tournament officials announced Thursday. Maas will compete in the Rolex Series event Jan. 22-25, 2026, played annually at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai, UAE.

“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!”

Currently No. 5 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Maas tallied three top 10s for Texas this fall, highlighted by a T2 at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational. Additionally, his amateur record includes top finishes at all levels around the world. This fall at the World Amateur Team Championship in Singapore, Maas won the individual title by 10 strokes and he led South Africa to an eight-stroke victory in the team competition. In March, he competed in the DP World Tour’s Investec South African Open Championship as an amateur and carded a second-round 64 en route to a T4 finish.

"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.”

Past PGA TOUR University players who have competed in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic include North Carolina’s David Ford, Stanford’s Michael Thorbjornsen, Texas Tech’s Ludvig Åberg and Texas A&M’s Sam Bennett. Ford (T72/2025), Thorbjornsen (T11/2024) and Åberg (T70/2023) all made the cut at Emirates Golf Club, with Åberg’s performance coming just months before he went on to win the Omega European Masters and The RSM Classic and earn a Ryder Cup captain’s pick in his first year as a pro.

In partnership with the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®), PGA TOUR University ranks players based on the last two years of their collegiate careers. Eligible Tournaments include NCAA Division I men’s team competitions, official PGA TOUR tournaments and select DP World Tour events.

Upon the conclusion of the collegiate golf season, the No. 1 player in the final PGA TOUR University Ranking earns PGA TOUR membership. Players Nos. 2-10 earn Korn Ferry Tour membership, and players finishing 11th through 25th earn PGA TOUR Americas membership.