We had a pretty unusual occurrence at the Dubai Invitational as Brandon Robinson Thompson played in the second round but wasn't actually part of the tournament.
Robinson Thompson was operating as a marker at Dubai Creek and stepping in for fellow Englishman Richard Mansell for the second round, but he's no ordinary marker.
Mansell had to pull out of the Dubai Invitational during the first round when he suffered an ankle injury, and to ensure the field is even a replacement was needed.
An extra player coming in as a marker is not that unsusual, but usually it is a club pro from the host venue or nearby - not on this occasion though.
Instead it was a DP World Tour pro in the shape of Robinson Thompson who teed it up for the second round but was purely there to make up the numbers - receiving no prize money or ranking points.
"Brandon is playing as a ‘marker’ after Richard Mansell’s withdrawal, so he is not officially part of the tournament, doesn’t receive points or prize money and his scores don’t count," a DP World Tour spokesperson told Golf Monthly.
"You’ll see that he doesn’t appear on the professional leaderboard."
Robinson Thompson did not get into the limited-field Dubai Invitational but was a reserve, so was at Dubai Creek anyway and seemingly happy to step in and play in the event even as just a filler.
There's a Pro-Am competition being played simultaneously alongside the pro event on the DP World Tour, so Mansell's place in his team alongside an amateur also needed filling.
"A maker was required to keep the field even and allow Mansell’s amateur partner to continue (there is both an amateur and a professional competition running concurrently at this event)," added the DP World Tour.
"Usually, the marker role would be filled by a club pro, but as Brandon was on site as a reserve, he stepped in on this occasion."
Markers can play quite regularly in certain events - The Masters at Augusta National for example can deploy a marker if there's an uneven number of players in the field, and that's a duty usually performed by a member of the prestigious Georgia club.
Robinson Thompson, 33, finished 51st on the Race To Dubai last year after his first full season on the DP World Tour following his graduation from the HotelPlanner Tour.
He had four top 10s including a third-placed finish at the Qatar Masters, and will be hoping to make a few more challenges in tournaments in 2026.
An added benefit for Robinson Thompson playing in this event is to get tournament reps in local conditions ahead of playing in next week's Dubai Desert Classic at nearby Emirates GC.
