Everything you need to know about the Race to Dubai on the DP World Tour.
What is the Race to Dubai?
The Race to Dubai is a season-long competition where golfing icons and upcoming stars battle it out across a global schedule to be crowned the DP World Tour’s Number One player.
How does the Race to Dubai work?
The Race to Dubai is a points-based ranking for DP World Tour members.
Featuring a minimum of 44 tournaments in 24 countries across five continents, to the players accumulate Race to Dubai Rankings Points at each counting event across three distinct phases of the season:
· The Global Swings: Five ‘Global Swings’ showcase the different cultures and courses the DP World Tour has to offer.
· The Back 9: The Race heats up on the ‘Back 9’ with increased Race to Dubai Ranking Points on offer and the chance to qualify for the DP World Tour Play-Offs
· The DP World Tour Play-Offs: The final Sprint. 70 players remain and the Race to Dubai concludes with two Rolex Series events in the Middle East, as the DP World Tour Number One player is crowned.
The player with the most points at the end of the season is crowned the Race to Dubai Champion, winning the Harry Vardon Trophy.
There is a provisional cut-off in the Race to Dubai rankings for the top 110 players to retain membership for the following season.
What happens at each phase?
Introduced for the 2024 season, the new Race to Dubai format offers more opportunities and rewards than ever before.
Phase One – The Global Swings
The Global Swings consist of five individual ‘Swings’ – the Opening Swing, the International Swing, the Asian Swing, the European Swing, and the Closing Swing - with each Swing having its own individual Swing Rankings.
At the end of each Swing, the leading player will be crowned ‘Swing Champion’ and will qualify for each of the ‘Back 9’ events.
The five Swings will also offer qualification into the first three Rolex Series events:
- The leading member (not otherwise exempt) from the Opening Swing will qualify for the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
- The leading member (not otherwise exempt) from each of the International Swing, the Asian Swing and the European Swing will qualify for the Genesis Scottish Open.
- The leading member (not otherwise exempt) from the Closing Swing will qualify for the BMW PGA Championship.
The overall top performers from the Global Swings will be rewarded with qualification into Phase Two of the season, with ten spots in each of the ‘Back 9’ events for the highest ranked members (not otherwise exempt) within the top 110 on the current Race to Dubai Rankings.
Phase Two – The Back 9
The Back 9 encompasses 9 of the DP World Tour’s most historic tournaments and national Opens with increased Race to Dubai Rankings Points on offer.
In addition to exempt DP World Tour members, the leading 15 non-members from the top 70 on the FedEx Cup will be eligible to play in these events and qualify for the DP World Tour Championship.
The top 110 players on the Race to Dubai at the conclusion of this phase in October will earn their DP World Tour cards for 2025 while the top 70 qualify for Phase Three, the DP World Tour Play-Offs.
Phase Three – The DP World Tour Play-Offs
The DP World Tour Play-Offs comprise the two final Rolex Series events of the season – the Abu Dhabi Championship and the DP World Tour Championship.
The top 70 qualifying players on the Race to Dubai will battle it out in Abu Dhabi to secure enough Race to Dubai Rankings Points to progress to the season finale, the DP World Tour Championship, where the DP World Tour’s Number One player will be crowned.
Finally, the top ten DP World Tour members on the final 2024 Race to Dubai Rankings (not otherwise exempt) will earn PGA TOUR card, becoming dual members for the 2025 season.
How are Race to Dubai Ranking Points awarded?
· Tournaments within the Global Swings are worth 3,000 Race to Dubai Ranking Points
· Tournaments within the Back 9 are worth 5,000 Race to Dubai Ranking Points
· Tournaments within the DP World Tour Play-Offs are increased, with 9,000 Race to Dubai Ranking Points on offer at the Abu Dhabi Championship and 12,000 available at the season ending DP World Tour Championship.
Players will then be awarded a “share” of the points based on their finishing position in the tournament.
Tournaments that form part of the Rolex Series carry elevated points with 8,000 Race to Dubai Ranking Points on offer at each event, with the exception of the DP World Tour Championship which has 12,000 Race to Dubai Ranking Points.
The four Major Championships each have 10,000 Race to Dubai Ranking points.
What is a Rolex Series Event?
Launched in 2017 to mark the 20th anniversary of Rolex’s partnership with the DP World Tour, the Rolex Series is the premium category of events on the DP World Tour.
The Rolex Series events carry elevated Race to Dubai Ranking Points and increased prize-funds for players.
Who is the reigning Race to Dubai champion?
Rory McIlroy is the reigning European Number One, having won the season-long competition for a fifth time in 2023.
Past Race to Dubai winners
Since the Race to Dubai was launched in 2009, there have been nine different champions: Lee Westwood (2009, 2020), Martin Kaymer (2010), Luke Donald (2011), Rory McIlroy (2012, 2014, 2015, 2022, 2023), Henrik Stenson (2013, 2016), Tommy Fleetwood (2017), Francesco Molinari (2018), Jon Rahm (2019), Collin Morikawa (2021).
Prior to that, the season-long contest was known as the Order of Merit. Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie holds the record of winning the season-long ranking eight times.
Among other past winners are Seve Ballesteros, Sir Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam and Ernie Els.
