The DP World Tour is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its inception in 2022, marking five decades of record-breaking moments and notable milestones.
From the most victories on Tour to the amateurs who have lifted titles and the lowest scoring record in history, we’ve compiled a list of the best statistics from the last fifty years.
Number Related Records
1. A total of 1916 tournaments have been played between April 12th 1972 (the first event), and April 12th 2022.
2. In that time, 8468 different players have teed it up, representing 110 different countries
3. Over the past 50 years, there have been 557 winners representing 37 different countries
4. When the 2020 Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Open was staged in 2002, Cyprus became the 50th different country to host an event in the Tour’s history.
5. Between 12th April 1972 and 12th April 2022, the Tour has visited 440 different venues.
6. Youngest winner on Tour – Matteo Manassero: 17 years, 188 days – 2010 CASTELLO MASTERS
At just 17 years old, Matteo Manassero played his way in to the record books with his impressive four stroke win at the 2010 CASTELLO MASTERS Costa Azahar.
Manassero had started the final day two shots behind Gary Boyd, but the Italian quickly halved the gap with a 12 foot birdie putt at the third before seeing a 40 foot effort rattle in at the par three sixth.
Making the turn in one under after a dropped shot at the seventh, Manassero hit his stride, making three birdies in a row from the 13th to move ahead by one. Meanwhile, Boyd’s fortunes began to turn the other way, with a bogey, double-bogey, bogey stretch from the 15th that left him five shots back and out of contention.
In the end, Manassero would sign for a four under final round of 67 saw him finish at 16 under, four clear of Ignacio Garrido.
The Italian teenager already had a string of impressive accolades to his name prior to his win. He became the youngest Amateur Championship winner in history as a 16 years old in 2009, finished as the youngest winner of the silver medal for the leading amateur at the Open at Turnberry, and the youngest player to make the cut at the Masters. The latter record was beaten by Tianlang Gun, who was 14 years old when he made the cut at Augusta National in 2013.
7. Oldest winner on Tour – Miguel Angel Jimenez: 50 years, 133 days -2014 Open de Espana
8. Oldest player to win Order of Merit/R2D – Lee Westwood: At the age of 47 years, seven months and 20 days – Lee Westwood became the oldest player to win the season-long race in 2020.
9. Youngest player to play in an event – 12 years & 242 days, Ye Wo-Cheng (am), 2013 Volvo China Masters
10. Youngest player to make a cut – 14 years & 169 days, Guan Tian-lang (am), 2013 Masters
11. Oldest first time winner – Richard Bland, 48 years, 101 days - 2021 British Masters
After 23 years as a professional Richard Bland became the oldest first-time winner in Tour history with a play-off victory over Guido Migliozzi at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett .
The 48-year-old arrived at The Belfry for his 478th event at third place on the list of players with most appearances without a win. He revealed he already had one eye on the seniors game but after making just one bogey in 72 holes, he showed he could still mix it with players many years his junior.
And after carding a closing 66 with a birdie on the last to get to 13 under, the home favourite parred the first extra hole as Italian Migliozzi, who was just 18 months old when Bland made his Tour debut in 1998, three putted. It would see him crowned as the oldest first-time winner in Tour history.
12. Oldest player to play in an event – 74 years & 211 days, Arnold Palmer, 2004 Masters
13. Oldest player to make a cut – 71 years & 261 days, Bob Charles, 2008 New Zealand Open
Tour Milestones
14. Most hole in ones – 10, Miguel Angel Jimenez
15. Most victories in one season – 6, Seve Ballesteros, 1986
16. Most wins on Tour – 50, Seve Ballesteros
The late, great Seve Ballesteros remains the most decorated player in Tour history with a record unlikely to be bested.
In a span of less than 20 years, the four-time Major Champion claimed 50 titles, starting with his first victory as a 19-year-old at the 1976 Dutch Open, where he beat Howard Clark by eight strokes.
What followed was a streak of 17 consecutive years, between 1976 and 1992, where he won at least once - totalling 47 wins which include his three Open Championship triumphs (1979, 1984, 1988) and two Masters titles (1980, 1983). The best of those years on what was then the European Tour was undoubtedly the 1986 season, when he won six times, and he remains the only player to record six official tournament wins in one season.
He would then win twice in 1994, beating Nick Faldo by three shots to claim the Benson & Hedges International Open before defeating José María Olazábal and Ernie Els to win the Mercedes German Masters. His final, and 50th win, came a year later at the 1995 Peugeot Spanish Open, winning his home Open for the third time with a two shot win over fellow Spaniards Ignacio Garrido and José Rivero.
17. Most career top 10s – 190, Colin Montgomerie
18. Consecutive cuts made – 82, Ernie Els (2000 – 2007 Johnnie Walker Classic)
19. Players to win on their debut – 6: Barry Jaeckel (1972 French Open), Hal Underwood (1975 Portugeuse Open), Tom Watson (1975 Open Championship), Jarrod Moseley (1999 Heineken Classic), Ben Curtis (2003 Open Championship), Shane Lowry (2009 Irish Open)
20. Record number of Order of Merit titles – Colin Montgomerie, 8
21. Most appearances – 717, Miguel Angel Jimenez
The Spaniard made history at the 2020 Hero Open as he overtook Sam Torrance's previous appearance record of 706 events on Tour, which he had set in 2010.
Jimenez has since gone on to appear in ten subsequent events, setting the current milestone of 717.
On his record-breaking appearance, Jimenez vowed that he would continue to keep playing as long as he could.
"I promise you, I will still be playing golf as long as I can. I am 56 years old now but I still love what I am doing. I hope to see you on the golf courses and around the world. A big hug to all of you."
22. Number of players to win Rookie of the Year AND Order of Merit in career – 4: Martin Kaymer, Jon Rahm, Colin Montgomerie, Nick Faldo
23. Biggest gap between victories: 16 years, 204 days – Anthony Wall (2000 Alfred Dunhill Championship – 2016 Paul Lawrie Match Play)
24. Biggest gap between first and latest victory – 23 years, 168 days: Lee Westwood (1996 Scandinavian Masters – 2020 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship)
25. Most number of Rolex Series wins – 4: Jon Rahm & Tyrrell Hatton
26. Players to win as an amateur - Pablo Martin Benavides (2007), Danny Lee (2009), Shane Lowry (2009)
There have been three players in the history of the Tour who have won as amateurs, and they all occurred in a span of just two years between 2007 and 2009.
In 2007, Pablo Martín Benavides became the first amateur in history to win a Tour event when he captured the Estoril Open de Portugal title.
At the age of 18 years and 213 days, Danny Lee followed Benavides by not only becoming just the second player to win as an amateur, but also making history as the youngest winner in Tour history at the time with his victory at the 2009 Johnnie Walker Classic.
Just 12 events after Lee captured his maiden title, Shane Lowry followed in his footsteps to become the third – and most recent – amateur to win on Tour when he defeated Robert Rock in a play-off in front of home crowds at the Irish Open in 2009.
27. Most play-offs in career – 16, Bernhard Langer (Won 8, Lost 6, Halved 2)
28. Most consecutive wins – 3, Seve Ballesteros (1986 Carrolls Irish Open, 1986 Johnnie Walker Monte Carlo Open, 1986 Peugeot Open de France)
29. First golfer with a disability to play on Tour – Brendan Lawlor
30. First woman to hold solo lead – Caroline Hedwall, 2021 Scandinavian Mixed
31. In 2018, Thomas Bjorn and Catriona Mathew became the first male and female professionals to play together in match play format on Tour when they formed the Captains Team in the second edition of the innovative GolfSixes event.
32. Number of times players have shared a title – 2: Bernhard Langer & Seve Ballesteros (1986 Trophee Lancome), Langer & Colin Montgomerie (2002 Andalucia Masters).
33. Highest number of appearances without a victory on Tour: 552 – David Drysdale
Scoring/ On-Course Records
34. Lowest 72 hole total – 257, Garrick Higgo (2021 Canary Islands Championship)
35. Low first 54 hole score to par: -23, Ernie Els (2003 Johnnie Walker Classic), David Howell (2006, TCL Classic)
36. Lowest 72 hole score to par -29, Ernie Els (2003 Johnnie Walker Classic)
In 2003, Ernie Els set the lowest 72 hole score to par (-29) with a dominant victory at the Johnnie Walker Classic.
Els led the contest from day one, and claimed his 13th Tour title in impression fashion with rounds of 64, 65, 64 and 66 to earn a ten shot winning margin over Australian duo Stephen Leaney and Andre Stolz.
At the time, Els – the World Number Two - was already the holder of the low 72-hole record on the PGA Tour, which he had set at 31 under par during the Mercedes Championship at the start of the year. It was his fourth win in five starts worldwide, and he would go on to successfully defend the Order of Merit later that year.
37. Low 36 hole score to par: -18, Colin Montgomerie (1996 Canon European Masters), Adam Scott (2008 Qatar Masters)38. Most birdies in a round – 12: Fred Couples (1991 Scandinavian Mixed), Ernie Els (1994 Dubai Desert), Russell Claydon (1995 German Masters), Darren Clarke (1999 European Open), Jeppe Huldahl (Turkish Airlines Open 2013), Raphael Jacquelin (2013 Turkish Airlines Open)
38. Low 36 hole score to par: -18, Colin Montgomerie (1996 Canon European Masters), Adam Scott (2008 Qatar Masters)
39. Record catch up by a winner - 10 Shots: Jamie Spence (Canon European Masters 2010), Paul Lawrie (1999 Open Championship)
40. Lowest final round by a winner – 60, Jamie Spence (Canon European Masters 2010), Rafa Cabrera Bello (2009 Austrian Open), Brandon Stone (2018 Scottish Open), Ian Woosnam (1999 Monte Carlo Open)
41. Low 18 Hole Score – 59: Oli Fisher, 2018 Portugal Masters
After 46 years and over 690,000 rounds of golf, Oliver Fisher became the first player in Tour history to record a 59.
The Englishman broke the 60 barrier in the second round of the Portugal Masters, carding ten birdies and an eagle in a stunning 12 under par bogey-free effort that instantly went down in Tour folklore.
Before Fisher recorded the magic number, there had previously been 19 rounds of 60 on Tour, starting with David Llewellyn in 1988 and with the most recent coming from Brandon Stone at the Scottish Open earlier in the 2018 season.
Darren Clarke did it twice and Scott Jamieson did it at the Portugal Masters in the third round in 2013, missing a birdie putt on the last to claim his place in the history books.
Fisher had the luxury of being able to par the 18th for his big moment and the feeling looked to be as much one of relief as joy as he got down in two from 40 feet.
42. Most birdies in succession – 9: Bernd Wiesberger (unofficial Maybank Championship, 2017), James Nitties (ISPS Handa Vic Open, 2019)
43. Largest 72 hole winning margin – 15 shots, Tiger Woods, 2000 US Open
44. Most strokes on one hole – 20, Philippe Porquier – 1978 French Open
45. Most sudden death play-off holes needed – 9, 2013 Open de Espana
46. Longest drive on Tour – Nicolas Colsaerts, 477 yards, 2014 Wales Open
Family Related Records
47. First set of brothers to win back to back events – Rasmus & Nicolai Hojgaard (2021)
48. Number of brothers to have won on Tour – 4: Antonio & German Garrdio, Seve & Manuel Ballesteros, Edoardo & Francesco Molinari, Rasmus & Nicolai Højgaard
Spain’s Antonio Garrido and German Garrido played on Tour from its inception in 1972, and were the first brothers to win. Five-time Tour winner Antonio notably claimed the very first official title at the 1972 Spanish Open, and a year later his brother German earned his singular victory at the 1973 Madrid Open.
The late Seve Ballesteros and his brother Manuel Ballesteros became the second set of brothers to hoist trophies on Tour, and like the Garridos, the career trajectories of the Spanish pair were very different. Seve went on to become the most successful player in Tour history with 50 victories, while Manuel’s only win came during the 1982 Timex Open at Biarritz.
Edoardo and Francesco Molinari became the third set of brothers to win on Tour in 2010, when Edoardo captured the first of three titles at the Scottish Open. Already a winner by then, Francesco has since gone on to hold five Tour titles – including the 2018 Open Championship at Carnoustie.
The latest brothers to capture titles are Danish twins Rasmus and Nicolai Højgaard. Rasmus burst on to the scene with two victories in his rookie 2020 season, before adding a third title in Switzerland in August 2021. At the very next event, Nicolai joined the winner’s circle at the DS Automobiles Italian Open, to make them the first brothers to win back to back events.
49. Father & sons to win on Tour – 3: Antonio & Iganacio Garrido, Craig & Kevin Stadler, Jose Maria & Alejandro Canizares
50. Uncle & Nephew – 3: German & Ignacio Garrido, Christy O’Connor & Christy O’Connor Jnr, Bernard & Stephen Gallacher
