The Old World Circuit will host the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai this week to conclude the 2024-25 season. Unlike the American Tour Championship, which has undergone too many changes to list, the Euro Finals has remained largely unchanged since its inception in 2009, when the Order of Merit was replaced by the Race to Dubai. Here’s what you need to know about the DP World Tour Championship.
Format and course
The DP World Tour Championship, part of the Rolex Series of Tours, is an uncut 72-hole event with a $3 million first prize and $10 million in prize money. Coinciding with the DP World Tour Championship, the winner of the season-long points race, the Race to Dubai Champion, will be determined and awarded the Harry Vardon Trophy. The tournament will be held at Jumeirah Golf Estates, a Greg Norman-designed course that has hosted the tournament since its inception.
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field
The top 50 players in the Race to Dubai rankings will qualify, but Ludvig Aberg (first time in the competition) and Shane Lowry are also eligible as they were exempt as European Ryder Cup athletes. However, there are some notable absences, including Jon Rahm (on sabbatical following a winless year), Viktor Hovland (still dealing with a neck injury that forced him to sit out the final day of the Ryder Cup), and Sepp Straka (family matters).
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Hovland is the only player in the top 50 not scheduled to play.
Rory loses
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Rory McIlroy tops the Race to Dubai rankings. Thanks to wins at the Masters and Irish Open, the Ulsterman has a commanding lead in the points race during the season, and he furthered that advantage last week with a T-3 at the Abu Dhabi Championships, his lowest round of his career on the DP World Tour. “I really like that golf course,” McIlroy said of Jumeirah Golf Estate on Sunday after the final round of 62 in Abu Dhabi. “It really suits me. I think it probably suits me a little bit more than this course this week in terms of what I have to do from the tee to the green. So, look, this week was a great confidence exude after a few weeks off and hopefully I can produce more of the same results next Thursday and beyond.”
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Only two other players have a statistical chance of overtaking McIlroy in the season-long points race (see below). McIlroy has won the last three Race to Dubai titles, taking his total to six. A seventh career win would move him one step closer to matching Colin Montgomerie’s record eight medals of merit. McIlroy has also won the DP World Tour Championship three times, including last year.
pursuers
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Marco Penge and Tyrrell Hatton (On top of that). Penji is the breakout name on the 2025 DP World Tour, winning three times this campaign (including last month’s Spanish Open). Despite playing most of his time at LIV Golf, Hatton won the season opener in Dubai, improving his chances of winning the season title. McIlroy can make this a non-issue if he finishes first or second. Penge would need to finish second or better in a three-way tie, but Hatton would need to win in addition to several other scenarios to have a chance.
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bonus pool
A $6 million bonus will be distributed to the top 10 players in the Race to Dubai rankings, with the winner receiving $1.5 million.
tour card
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The top 10 players in the final rankings will earn PGA Tour memberships in 2026, unless exempt. Topping the current list is Penji (above, locking his card), followed by Christopher Reitan, Adrian Sadier, John Parry, Alex Nolen, Laurie Canter, Haotong Li, Daniel Brown, Keita Nakajima and Jordan Smith. However, all players in the field this week are still competing to win the 10 cards.
