"The Race Ends Here."
That's the tagline welcoming players to the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, which tees off tomorrow at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
And it couldn't be more fitting. After 43 tournaments across 24 countries, the entire season comes down to the climactic event in Dubai. Here, the tournament winner will be crowned, but even more importantly, the champion of the season-long Race to Dubai will emerge victorious.
Below, we cover everything you need to know about the final tournament on the 2024 Race to Dubai schedule.
Who’s in the field?
Just like last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, World No.3 Rory McIlory will headline the field as he seeks a third DP World Tour Championship title on the Earth course.
The Northern Irishman has an impressive record in the season finale, with two wins and eight additional top-10 finishes in his 13 appearances. He also comes into this week on the cusp of matching the late, great Seve Ballesteros’ record of six Harry Vardon Trophies – given to the No.1 players on the season-long Race to Dubai Rankings.
The 35-year-old has 1,785.02-point lead in the standings over Thriston Lawrence, who is the only man who can catch the four-time Major champion. Lawrence must win the DP World Tour Championship outright to have any shot at the title. Even then, it won’t be enough if McIlroy finishes solo 11th or better.
McIlroy and Lawrence will be joined by a strong field, including LIV Golf’s Tyrrell Hatton and Joaquín Niemann, Dubai-based players Tommy Fleetwood, Adrian Meronk, Thorbjorn Olesen and Paul Waring - the recent Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship winner - alongside stars like 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott and two-time BMW PGA Championship winner Billy Horschel.
Who missed out?
With only the top 50 players in the Race to Dubai Rankings earning a spot in the season’s final Rolex Series event, last year’s champion Nicolai Højgaard will be absent, finishing the season ranked 59th after the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Other high-profile players missing from the lineup include two-time DP World Tour Championship winner Matt Fitzpatrick, as well as Viktor Hovland and Ryan Fox.
Meanwhile, three-time tournament champion Jon Rahm qualified for the event after rejoining the DP World Tour post-LIV Golf season, yet he’s chosen to sit this one out, likely savouring time with his family after welcoming his third child with wife Kelley last month.
What’s at stake?
Beyond the prestigious trophy, the $3 million champion’s prize and the coveted Race to Dubai title, there’s another intense competition underway: the race to claim one of ten PGA Tour cards awarded to the top players not already exempt on the Race to Dubai standings.
Thriston Lawrence currently leads that chase, followed by Rasmus Højgaard, Paul Waring, Niklas Norgaard, Matteo Manassero, Jesper Svensson, Thorbjørn Olesen, Rikuya Hoshino, Sebastian Söderberg, and Jordan Smith.
Just outside the cutoff, Tom McKibbin and Guido Migliozzi are also within reach, making this a potentially career-changing week for many in the field. Statistically, every player - including the last man in, Francesco Laporta - has a chance to break into the top ten with a standout performance.
Of the ten players who earned a PGA Tour card through this pathway last season, Matthieu Pavon and Robert MacIntyre both captured titles and advanced to the Tour Championship. They were among six who retained full playing privileges in the U.S., joined by Ryan Fox, Victor Perez, Sami Välimäki, and Ryo Hisatsune.
On top of that, players are also competing for valuable Ryder Cup points.
With 2000 points on the line as part of the Rolex Series, European players can boost their standings in the race for a spot on Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup team, which will head to Bethpage, New York, next September.
The top eight players at the end of the qualification period next August will earn automatic spots, with Donald selecting an additional four players as Captain’s Picks.
What does the formbook say?
McIlroy enters the tournament as the clear favorite, given his stellar track record on the Earth course. However, he’ll face tough competition from a talented field eager to close out the season with a statement.
Matt Wallace, for instance, returns with momentum after a third-place finish in Abu Dhabi. Last year, he tore up Jumeirah Golf Estates with a career-best round of 60, birdieing every hole on the back nine on day three en route to a runner-up finish.
Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood also bring strong credentials, each finishing runner-up here twice on the Greg Norman-designed course. Meanwhile, Rasmus Højgaard aims to cap his standout season by joining his twin brother as a winner of this prestigious season finale.
