The Major Quest is finally underway, and it all begins at the Dubai Invitational — a DP World Tour stop held from 15 to 18 January 2026 at the stunning Dubai Creek Golf Course. With its scenic setting (did you see that clubhouse?) and relaxed tournament atmosphere – typically for the middle east events, it is the perfect place to launch this journey.
There were 6 major champions in the field.
I expected that collecting the signatures from Shane Lowry, Francesco Molinari, Danny Willett, and Patrick Reed would be relatively straightforward, since each has won a single major. I also knew it would be a bigger challenge to have Pádraig Harrington sign all three of his plaques. As for Rory — needing five signatures — I wasn’t overly optimistic. He’s a global superstar, and getting him to stop and sign that many times would be no small task. Still, this is exactly what the quest is about. Nothing is guaranteed — all we can do is try.
Day 1: Thursday 15 January 2026
The practice facilities at the Dubai Creek golf course are ideally for getting up and close to the golfers. The driving range, putting green and the first / tenth tee are spaced far enough apart that golfers have to walk a fair distance between each area. That creates some great opportunities to try to get some signatures. When I arrived at the tournament grounds, I positioned myself at the putting green where I immediately noticed that Danny Willet was starting his warmup. When he left the putting green and headed toward the chipping area, I was able to secure the first signature of the day – and with it, the very first signature of the Major Quest. We’re off to a good start.
Collecting signatures from professional golfers is an exercise in patience — a lot of patience. After securing Danny’s signature, I still had about two and a half hours to wait before the marquee tee times featuring Rory, Pádraig, Shane, and Patrick. Francesco was due out sooner, roughly an hour and a half later, which gave me just enough time to grab a coffee.
Coffee in hand, I lingered near the clubhouse entrance, a natural funnel point where players passed through on their way to warm up. Before long, Francesco appeared. He was gracious enough to sign his plaque and even paused to study it for a moment. That small interaction confirmed what I had hoped: the Major Quest was going to be a genuinely fun journey — especially seeing how each player would react when presented with their customized plaque for signing.
Not long after the interaction with Francesco, I spotted Rory coming out of the clubhouse. He was already in deep conversation with his caddy and his team. I approached him but he politely declined to sign any of the 5 plaques. He was already fully locked in on his round. “Maybe I can get him to sign at least 1 or 2 plaques after the round,” I wondered. What’s the plan? As I was surveying the area around the 9th and 18th greens, I noticed that there was a temporary walkway constructed for the players to walk from the recording office to the clubhouse. The players would have to pass by a small area before they entered the clubhouse. Since my ticket allowed clubhouse entry, I would position myself in that area when Rory finished his round. I surely have another chance! But I knew right then that collecting the signatures of the superstars was not going to be easy.
It took little time to understand the flow of the players after their round — to find the optimum location to get to Rory. With a plan in place, It was again time to direct my attention towards Shane, Pádraig and Patrick Reed. I realized that Shane and Pádraig were already out warming up on the putting green (Shane) and the driving range (Pádraig). Both Irish starts were drawing plenty of attention from the spectators, which added an extra layer of unpredictability. I knew that at some point Shane would make the walk to the range and Pádraig would head to the putting green. I was only hoping that they would not move at the same time! Anticipating that Shane would move first, I positioned myself at the exit of the putting green. About 15 min later, Shane wrapped up his putting and started his walk to the driving range. Although being nervous (In the end you’re meeting a major champion!), I confidently moved towards Shane and greeted him, showed him the plaque and asked if he could sign it. He happily obliged. He signed another few caps for the spectators who gathered and he was off to the driving range. I followed him to the range as I needed to be there to try to get to Pádraig. Observing the players at the driving range is something that I enjoy very much. It is always a highlight for me. You can actually pickup a thing or two and apply it to your own game! Every time I get to observe these players, I am blown away by the sound, the quality and the precision of their strikes — out of this world, and truly on another level!
Watching Pádraig’s routine on the driving range is genuinely inspiring — his passion for the game is unmistakable. Even after completing his warm-up, he continued working through swing drills as he headed off the range, where I was waiting. He was clearly pressed for time and was being urged along by his amateur playing partner (The Dubai Invitational is an event where amateur celebrity golfers tee it up alongside the professionals). When I asked if he could spare a moment to sign his three plaques, he stopped in his tracks and indeed started signing the first plaque. His playing partner, again, reminded him that he had to go, but Pádraig responded with a gesture I didn’t expect. He responded to his playing partner to wait so that he could recognize the effort I had put into creating the commemorative plaques celebrating his major achievements. Pádraig signed all three plaques and even thanked me for the recognition I gave him. The fact that he made his celebrity playing partner wait until he signed all three plaques was definitely a highlight of the day. Thank you Pádraig!
With six of the twelve potential signatures secured, I was very pleased with the progress so far. The only golfer I hadn’t been able to connect with before the round began was Patrick Reed. Having met him at previous tournaments, I knew he is approachable and generous with fans seeking autographs, so I wasn’t overly concerned. I was confident I would obtain his signature commemorating the 2018 Masters Tournament — if not at this event, then during one of the Middle East tournaments he was scheduled to play over the following weeks.
The first round is now well underway and I walked the back nine alongside the group of Rory and Shane before heading to the clubhouse for a well-earned break. Enjoying a meal and refreshments while overlooking the 9th and 18th greens was the perfect way to spend a few hours as I waited for Rory to complete his round. My plan was set — all that remained was to be patient and take in the scenery.
A sizeable crowd began gathering at the exit of the recording tent — the point where Rory would emerge. For spectators with ground tickets, this represented their best opportunity to secure a signature or photo. From the clubhouse balcony, I watched the scene unfold and quickly realized this wasn’t an ideal setting for autographs. The area was crowded, and understandably, priority was given to younger fans hoping for pictures and signatures.
The anticipation built as Rory finally stepped out of the tent. Unfortunately, he didn’t stop to sign, clearly moving with purpose to his next commitment. From my vantage point, I began to wonder whether I would get a chance to have my plaques signed at all. Still, I knew he would pass by a spot I had identified earlier. Beside myself, there were only 2 other fans at that passage point, which gave me some hope.
When the moment arrived, I was ready. I greeted him, and he acknowledged me — but continued walking without stopping. No luck this time. Still, tomorrow would bring another opportunity to focus my efforts on Rory and Patrick Reed.
Day 2: Friday 16 January 2026
On Friday I had set myself 3 objectives: secure five signatures from Rory, obtain Patrick’s autograph, and have a couple of golf caps signed by players not featured in the Major Quest collection. When I arrived at the golf course, the place was already full with activity. Players were going through their warm-up routines, spectators were soaking in the atmosphere, and marshals were making their way to their assigned positions. With Rory’s tee time still nearly two hours away, I made my way to the merchandising tent to buy a couple of golf hats and look at the other goodies they always have in there. As often happens at tournaments, time slipped away faster than expected and I lost track of Patrick’s whereabouts. By the time I finished shopping, I realized I missed my opportunity as Patrick was about to step on the first tee. When a player is that close to his tee time I always refrain from approaching him. That is a fundamental rules of collecting signatures from professional golfers: respect their preparation and space before a round. Patrick’s autograph would have to wait for another day.
As I waited patiently at the clubhouse exit for Rory to appear, a burst of laughter caught my attention. It was coming from the staircase of the adjacent hotel, which provides direct access to the course. So there was another entrance after all! It quickly became clear that Rory, Shane, and Pádraig were in high spirits as they made their way down the steps to begin their warm-ups. The discovery of this additional player entrance caught me off guard—I hadn’t anticipated this alternate route. Without hesitation, I made my way over, hoping there might still be an opportunity to have Rory sign a few plaques before heading to the range. As mentioned before, the clubhouse entrance and the driving range are not exactly next to each other, so I had to move quickly. Fortunately, I arrived in time and positioned myself between the putting green and the entrance to the range. A small group of young fans soon gathered nearby, all sharing the same goal: a signature or a photo with Rory. Realistically, I knew my chances were slim. In the world of autograph collecting, there is an important unwritten rule—young fans come first. It’s a principle I fully respect and always honor. True to form, Rory stopped to sign a few caps for the youngsters and even posed for several photos. A genuine class act. He noticed my plaques, but it was clear he needed to continue on to the range. Waiting at the exit afterward proved futile, as the crowd steadily grew. That left me with one final opportunity: That small area the players pass through on their way back into the clubhouse after their round. For the next four hours, I would follow Rory’s group around the course, enjoying the walk and the atmosphere, while making sure I was in position for that last chance when he finished his round.
To improve my chances of securing Rory’s signature after the round, I felt I needed to follow his group for the opening nine holes. I made a conscious effort to remain visible—opting to wear a bright yellow shirt to stand out in the crowd. As Rory moved from tee to green, I positioned myself carefully to stay within his line of sight. I’m fairly certain he noticed me at least once. While the galleries were sizeable, they weren’t so overwhelming that you needed to be two or three holes ahead to claim a good vantage point at the next tee. With some thoughtful positioning and a bit of strategy, I aimed to remain consistently noticeable throughout the front nine.
The idea was simple: if Rory recognized me in that yellow shirt after the round, there might be a greater chance he would take a moment to sign the plaques.
With the front nine finished and Rory’s group making the turn to start the back nine, I headed to the clubhouse balcony for a meal. I checked out the spot where I would be waiting for Rory and reassured myself that if Rory stopped to sign autographs after finishing near the 18th green, he would likely take a brief moment to sign my plaques before heading into the clubhouse.
There is never any doubt about where Rory’s group is on the course—simply follow the crowd. It often feels as though the entire property is trailing behind him. Like a swarm of bees, spectators lined the 18th fairway and surrounded the green as Rory and Shane made their way up the closing hole. I watched from the clubhouse balcony, alternating between the live view in the distance and the big screens nearby. The moment I had been anticipating all day was finally approaching. Would this be the time I secured the signatures? Rory emerged from the recording area near the 18th green and fulfilled his media obligations, answering questions from the television reporters. Once finished, he stepped away and generously began signing memorabilia for the fans gathered around. From above, I observed the scene with growing optimism. This was it. As he made his way along the temporary walkway toward the clubhouse—directly in my direction—I realized I was standing there alone, unlike the previous day when a few other fans had gathered as well. It felt like the perfect opportunity. Surely this had to be the moment. I greeted him as he approached and politely asked if he might take a moment to look at the plaques and sign them. He began signing the first, and as he did, I mentioned there were four more—one for each of his major victories. He signed the second plaque, but at that point his team gently ushered him along. I did not get all five signatures, but two out of five is more than satisfying.
Over the course of this first Quest, I managed to collect eight of the twelve targeted signatures—an outcome I would certainly consider a success. I hadn’t expected to achieve that many. I’m confident that I would get Patrick’s signature during the next Quest (Quest 2: Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship). As for the remaining three signatures for Rory? I’ll set my sights on November 2026, when he is likely to return to the Middle East for the Abu Dhabi Championship and the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
