The DP World Tour season has reached its final sprint with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship marking the return of the Rolex Series and the start of the DP World Tour Play-Offs. Here are your five things to know.
New-look DP World Tour Play-Offs
This week sees Phase Three of the DP World Tour season - the DP World Tour Play-Offs - begin as the eyes of the golfing world focus on the United Arab Emirates over the next fortnight. Having been held in January since its inception in 2006, this year the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship moves to a new slot on the DP World Tour schedule as part of a new initative on the Race to Dubai. The top 70 available players have made their way to Abu Dhabi for the first of two new-look season-ending Play-Offs, with the top 50 then advancing to the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
Harry Vardon Trophy state of play
With just two events to go in the campaign, Rory McIlroy arrives in the Middle East on course to equal the late, great Seve Ballesteros' record of six Harry Vardon trophies. The reigning Race to Dubai champion opened his 2024 season with a runner-up finish at the Dubai Invitational, before a successful title defence at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. He then enjoyed strong performances at the first three men's Majors of the year, narrowly missing out on victory at the U.S. Open. Back-to-back runner-up finishes at Royal County Down and Wentworth Club then cemented him at the summit of the season-long standings. His nearest challenger is South Africa's Thriston Lawrence, who trails by more than 1,500 Race to Dubai Points and arrives looking to mount a title challenge as he prepares to earn dual membership status with the PGA TOUR. Rasmus Højgaard is next, just under 2,000 points adrift of McIlroy in third after earning his fifth DP World Tour title at the Amgen Irish Open in September. Statistically there are still 37 players in with a chance of winning the Harry Vardon Trophy, but the caveat is that is based on McIlroy finishing last in Abu Dhabi and Dubai next week.
The return of the Rolex Series
While there have been a raft of new initiatives, the 2024 season has maintained the consistent thread of featuring five Rolex Series events. The time has come for the fourth such prestige event on the schedule, with many of the Tour's finest players teeing it up for a prize fund of $9 million, a share of the 9,000 points at stake on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex, and 2,000 Ryder Cup Points on offer. So far this year on the Rolex Series, launched in 2017, McIlroy won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic for a record fourth time, Robert MacIntyre won the Genesis Scottish Open and Billy Horschel denied McIlroy and Lawrence in a play-off to win the BMW PGA Championship. Across those three events, the winning margin has been no more than one shot and another unmissable weekend awaits.
Inside the field
A stellar line-up of talent has assembled in Abu Dhabi, with nine of the top ten and eighteen of the top 20 on the Race to Dubai making the trip for the start of the DP World Tour Play-Offs. As already mentioned, McIlroy leads the field but there are a host of other headline names in action. Fellow Major champions Adam Scott, Shane Lowry and Justin Rose along with Olympic Silver Medallist Tommy Fleetwood provide further star attraction. Among a host of other DP World Tour stars are Min Woo Lee, MacIntyre and the Højgaard twins. Of the 39 players to win a title on the 2024 Race to Dubai, 28 are teeing it up this week. David Micheluzzi of Australia is the only player set to make their Rolex Series debut.
The venue
Designed by Kyle Phillips and opened in 2010, Yas Links has been described by its creator as the first true links golf course in the Middle East. The par 72 layout, measuring 7,425 yards, staged the tournament for the third time in 2022 and lies across the road from the Yas Marina Circuit. Eight of the holes run along the coastline, providing wonderful views of the Arabian Gulf. While the course is regarded as being generous off the tee, Tournament Director Miguel Vidaor says players will have to be wary of being too aggressive with the rough longer than for the past two editions. "It’s quite wide for the tee shots but if you go in some of those areas in the rough then it is much more punishing than it has ever been," Vidaor said. Other characteristics of Yas Links are the size of the greens, making putting an extra challenge if your approach play is slightly off, and the variety in length of holes, with the closing four holes often proving a particular challenge as they invariably play into a breeze. "They are going to be a great test for these guys," added Vidaor.
