The glitz and glamour of top-level golf will be on full display as the world's best players tee off for a $9 million prize fund at a major tournament in Dubai this month.
But while success in the sport can lead to a jet-setting lifestyle, global adulation and wealth, the mental toll of life on the tour can weigh heavily on many seasoned players struggling to make the cut. Depression, anxiety and obsessive thoughts are familiar foes for professionals as they tackle life away from family, friends and the comforts of home.
Those challenges have been addressed by organisers of the Middle East’s most famous tournament, the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, which is to get under way at Emirates Golf Club on January 22.
In May 2024, the strains of a life on the road were cruelly exposed when American PGA Tour pro Grayson Murray took his own life, after facing mental health challenges and addiction.
Harsh realities
The tragedy brought into focus issues some players face at the lower end of the world rankings, where prize money can be considerably harder to come by, yet daily financial worries and isolation remain.
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