Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick gave the European season a fitting sendoff with perhaps the best finale we’ve witnessed in the DP World Tour Championship.
McIlroy’s Eagle forcing a playoff run was similar to what he did en route to winning the Irish Open in September, coinciding with this sensational Masters-winning season. Fitzpatrick confirmed a welcome return to form with his first win in two years.
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Their performance, which saw them shrug off their Ryder Cup-winning teammates, shows just how bad the European game is. But what happens to the DP World Tour (DPWT) and men’s professional golf in general after a thrilling year behind the ropes?
There are still many questions about the future. The sport remains divided since the breakaway LIV Golf League was launched in 2022.
“The world of professional golf is still a bit strange and who knows what the future holds,” McIlroy admitted after winning his seventh title at the Race to Dubai on Sunday.
The 36-year-old Northern Irishman is right, but to say it’s “a bit unusual” is an understatement as there’s still a lot to resolve.
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Hear the long-running appeals from Ryder Cup stars Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton. Their lawsuit will determine whether they can continue to play for Europe.
There is also a new structure in charge of the European Circuit’s strategic alliance partner, the PGA Tour, with few representatives from the Old World Tour at the top of the Florida-based giant’s management structure.
Nevertheless, performances on the course ensured an attractive season, increasing interest and viewership throughout the year.
Luke Donald’s team’s sensational Ryder Cup victory in New York saw McIlroy become the first man from the continent to complete a career Grand Slam, capping Tommy Fleetwood’s American FedEx Cup-winning campaign.
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Following these successes, a new 10-year multi-million dollar deal with title sponsor DP World was announced last week. “We wouldn’t have been able to do that without the success inside the ropes,” European Tour Group chief executive Guy Kinnings told BBC Sport.
“This shows that one of the world’s biggest brands values golf itself and recognizes our place in the game of golf.”
McIlroy agrees. “The DP World Tour has somehow found itself in a very strong position despite everything it’s been up to in the golf world,” he told me, pointing to the “commitment” of the title sponsor and the success of the Ryder Cup team.
He also said that “such great events from the beginning of September to the end of January” meant that “the DP World Tour is a shining light in the golf world during that period”.
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“It’s amazing to see all the players that play in these events and we hope it continues for a long time.”
“Fans want the major political parties to come together.”
But despite this and the investment in the European competition, Dubai-based multinational logistics giant DP World also believes the sport still has a lot to fix.
“The only solution for golf is for all three major political parties to come together,” said Daniel van Otterdijk, group chief communications officer at DP World.
“That’s the LIV/Asian Tour, the European Tour and the PGA Tour, because more than anything, that’s what golf fans want.”
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Van Otterdyk added: “Scottie Scheffler is number one in the world. But is he? How do you know? You don’t know.
“Where is Jon Rahm? Where is Brooks Koepka? Where is Bryson DeChambeau? For all we know, if they played a comparable event and didn’t have all the penalties and all the other nonsense that goes with it, they could be No. 1. Then things might change.”
“I feel like it’s a little bit like the boxing world. You’re the WBA world champion, but not the WBC. So is he better than you?”
“And only when you become unified world champion can you claim to be the true world champion, right?
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“Well, no one can claim that right now. So it must feel a little empty for the players as well.”
Van Otterdyk does not share McIlroy’s optimism about the shape of the golf calendar. “I can’t say I’m completely enamored with the current schedule,” he said.
“We would like to see a more integrated tour throughout the year with DPWT events taking place and more players, especially American players, joining the tour.”
That will require a major change in approach from the PGA Tour under new coach Brian Rolup, who was scouted by the NFL earlier this year.
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There are few signs pointing to a more global outlook, especially with the tour’s support from the US-based Strategic Sports Group. The partnership between the PGA Tour and the European Tour is subject to renegotiation starting in 2027.
“The strategic alliance is very strong,” Kinnings emphasized. “We work closely together and I truly enjoy interacting and working with Brian.
“We talk regularly. He’s got a big job and he’s clearly capable of getting it done. I think we have people who bring new approaches, and we’re working closely with them.”
As part of this relationship, the top 10 players in the DPWT who do not have the privilege of playing in the United States will be awarded PGA Tour cards. This is a popular incentive among players on the continental circuit.
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Among those celebrating new lives in the US next season are Britons Marco Penge, Rory Kanter, John Parry and Jordan Smith.
“Without fans and sponsors, no product can be created.”
This close relationship between the tours on both sides of the Atlantic mutually strengthens their position, while the Saudi-funded LIV seeks to make inroads against golf’s establishment.
Kinnings had no comment on the change from 54 holes to 72 holes next season. “It’s completely a decision they should do what’s best for them,” he said. “I didn’t expect them to comment on what we were doing.”
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However, a solution still needs to be found whether players like Rahm and Hutton can maintain the DPWT membership needed to remain eligible for the Ryder Cup team.
Both companies are appealing the fines and suspensions imposed since the switch to LIV in 2024.
Kinnings agrees that consolidation is needed.
“Yes,” he said. “It would be wrong for me to comment further on that because that is a matter that is in the hands of lawyers. But it is ongoing.”
Van Otterdyk believes both players may be tempted to return to the Establishment Tour when their contracts with LIV expire.
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“They might decide, look, we made money on the LIV tour,” he surmised. “I would like to do another tour again.
“I don’t know exactly how that will happen. That will be another interesting point. For example, will they come back through a European tour?
“As it stands, there are obstacles to returning to the PGA Tour and they cannot return to the Tour.
“But I would expect that Guy might look at this and say come back on the European Tour, win one of the 10 cards and come back as is. That would probably be a good way to go and that would suit us.”
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While Kinnings is understandably cautious and cautious about his future in public, the benefactors who lend their names to his tours are more candid. Money Talks and DP World are putting a lot of money into the game.
They believe golf is nearing a turning point. The divisive nature of men’s professional golf cannot continue, even with someone as immensely charismatic as McIlroy at the top.
Van Otterdyk brokered the latest deal, which provides important safeguards for the Kinnings organization. But DP World’s Head of Sponsorship wants more and calls for unity.
“I think that’s the only solution,” he said. “They all understand the need for it and the benefits of it. But it doesn’t necessarily materialize the way they want it to.
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“And that’s the problem, and that’s where concessions and mediation are needed. We’ve made that clear to all three parties that we’ve been talking to.
“Listen to what the fans have to say and what the sponsors have to say, because without those two groups there is no product and the players don’t have the money to play.”
“So I’m confident they will. Three different political parties are aiming for the same outcome, but there are three different ways to get there.”
“That’s a challenge, right? It’s a challenge to overcome.”
