West Australian Jason Scrivener is hoping that there truly is no place like home as he chases a long-awaited maiden win on the DP World Tour in 2025.

Scrivener is one of five Aussies in the field for this week’s $US9 million Hero Dubai Desert Classic, the first Rolex Series event of the 2025 DP World Tour season.

A two-time winner on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season this summer, Elvis Smylie has wasted no time in taking up the status he earned by virtue of his win at the co-sanctioned BMW Australian PGA Championship while Min Woo Lee makes his 2025 debut on the back of co-hosting last week’s Webex Players Series Perth.

Scrivener shot 5-under 67 to earn a share of fifth at Royal Fremantle Golf Club, chipping off some of the rust from a six-week break back home in WA.

When he holed out on Sunday his two boys, Felix, 3, and Charlie, 2, raced on to greet their dad. They are a big reason behind the change in how Scrivener will approach his season.

After two years on living in the US, Scrivener and wife Simone decided that a return home to be closer to family and friends would be best for the entire family.

“Nobody can really tell you, you’ve just got to figure it out yourself,” Scrivener said of the juggle between professional golf and fatherhood.

“My wife and I just tried to figure it out and I feel like things are starting to get somewhat easier. Or we’re at least getting used to the chaos, I guess.

“Things are settling down and hopefully I can have a good year.”

Scrivener flew out on Sunday night for a four-week stint in the Middle East, after which he will return home for a five-week break.

Simone and the boys will join him on tour for periods throughout the year as he tries to bounce back from a 2024 season in which he had only two top-10s and finished 87th on the Race to Dubai points list.

“I just needed a break, to be honest,” said Scrivener, who missed the cut at both the BMW Australian PGA and ISPS HANDA Australian Open.

“It was such an average year last year. I had to grind to keep my card and got sick a couple of times and there was just a lot going on.

“It just feels like there’s been a reset and excited for this year.”

A trio of Aussies are teeing it up at The American Express on the PGA TOUR, the PGA TOUR Champions season begins with Rod Pampling and Mark Hensby contesting the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii and Rhein Gibson is the sole Aussie at the Korn Ferry Tour Bahamas Golf Classic that starts January 19.

Round 1 tee times AEDT

PGA TOUR The American Express Pete Dye Stadium Course, La Quinta, California 4:14am Cam Davis 4:36am Aaron Baddeley 4:58am Jason Day

2024 champion: Nick Dunlap Past Aussie winners: Bruce Devlin (1970) Prize money: $US8.8m TV times: Live 4am-11am Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.

DP World Tour Hero Dubai Desert Classic Emirates GC, Dubai, UAE 2:45pm* Elvis Smylie 2:55pm* Ryan Fox (NZ) 3:05pm David Micheluzzi 6:35pm* Jason Scrivener 6:55pm* Daniel Hillier (NZ) 7:25pm Adam Scott 7:35pm Min Woo Lee

2024 champion: Rory McIlroy Past Aussie winners: Richard Green (1997), Lucas Herbert (2020) Prize money: $US9m TV times: Live 3pm-12:30am Thursday, Friday; Live 3pm-12am Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.

Korn Ferry Tour The Bahamas Golf Classic at Atlantis Paradise Island Ocean Club Golf Course at Atlantis, Paradise Island, The Bahamas Australasians in the field: Rhein Gibson, Harry Hillier (NZ)

2024 champion: Jeremy Paul Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: $US1m

PGA TOUR Champions Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai Hualalai GC, Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii 7:55am Mark Hensby 8:17am Rod Pampling 8:23am Steven Alker (NZ)

2024 champion: Steven Alker Past Aussie winners: Peter Thomson (1985), Bruce Crampton (1991) Prize money: $US2m TV times: Live 11am-2pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.