Five former European Challenge Tour players finished in the top ten on the DP World Tour Rankings in Partnership with Rolex, which will be renamed the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex from the 2023 season onwards
New Zealand’s Ryan Fox enjoyed an excellent season with two victories arriving at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and Ras al Khaimah Classic, and eight further top tens on his way to finishing second on the season long Rankings behind World Number One Rory McIlroy. Fox graduated from the Challenge Tour in 2016 after finishing fourth on the Rankings and he has since gone on to win three times on the DP World Tour.
Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick finished the season in fourth position on the DP World Tour Rankings after he captured a first Major title at the U.S. Open in June. The eight-time DP World Tour winner recorded four further top ten finishes in 2022, including a tie for fifth at the recent DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
England’s Tommy Fleetwood, the 2011 Challenge Tour Number One, has continued to go from strength to strength since his graduation. The Englishman finished fifth on the 2022 DP World Tour Rankings after another impressive season, which included a sixth DP World Tour title at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, tie for fifth at U.S. PGA Championship and a tie for fourth at The 150th Open at St. Andrews.
Adrian Meronk graduated from the Challenge Tour in 2019 after becoming the first Pole to win on the Tour at the 57º Open de Portugal @ Morgado Golf Resort. The 29-year-old made further history this year by becoming the first Polish player to win on the DP World Tour at the Horizon Irish Open in July and he went on to finish eighth on the season long Rankings.
Thomas Pieters kick started his 2022 campaign by securing his sixth DP World Tour title at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. The Belgian went on to record five further top ten finishes as he finished tenth on the DP World Tour Rankings.
Eight of the top ten at the DP World Tour Championship, the finale of the 2022 DP World Tour season, were former Challenge Tour players as the Challenge Tour continues to produce the next generation of golfing superstars. Tyrell Hatton and Alex Noren finished in a tie for second in Dubai, while Fitzpatrick and Fleetwood shared fifth and Rasmus Højgaard and Meronk shared seventh. Adri Arnaus, who won the 2018 Challenge Tour Grand Final, shared ninth place in Dubai with countryman Jorge Campillo.
