DP World Tour Championship 2025 preview

We’re at the end of another DP World Tour season, which means another visit to the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.

Rory McIlroy is on course to win a fourth consecutive Race to Dubai title if he can finish the job, but the 50-man field is a who’s who of European golf right now, making for an action-packed event where big names compete.

The man who will be competing closely to try and stop the Northern Irishman this year is Englishman Marco Penge, who has won three times in 2025. He has had a remarkable season, and even more so when you consider he narrowly kept his DP World Tour card in the very last regular season event of 2024.

Let’s take a look at the DP World Tour Championship and give you a full summary of the proceedings.

ALSO: DP World Tour Championship prize money 2025

DP World Tour Championship 2025 preview

Venue: Jumeirah Golf Estates (Earth course), Dubai, UAE

Date: November 13-16, 2025

Course stats: Par 72; 7675 yards

Defending champion: Rory McIlroy (-15)

Betting Guide

HERE IS WHAT THE BOOKIES THINK

Rory McIlroy – 10/3 – Betway

Sorry for the boring selection, but this isn’t the worst price I’ve seen when it comes to golf betting this season, and that is largely down to the brilliance of Scottie Scheffler in 2025. McIlroy has won this event three times, most recently last year when he beat Rasmus Hojgaard by two shots.

It is no secret that McIlroy is a master of desert golf. He has won the Dubai Desert Classic four times. He can bomb it around these courses, and they speak to his prodigious iron and wedge play, especially at the end of a season in which he has won the Masters, the Players, the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Irish Open. Like I say, I think 10/3 is a genuinely reasonable price.

He is closing out his season and will probably win the Race to Dubai for the umpteenth time this week. He had four rounds in the 60s in Abu Dhabi last week, including a 62, and he was also under par in every round at a tricky golf course in India last month. His form hasn’t relented towards the end of the year, and I doubt it will at the Earth Course this week.

Matt Fitzpatrick – 14/1 – Betway

Like McIlroy, his European Ryder Cup teammate Matt Fitzpatrick enjoys golf in this part of the world. He is a two-time winner of the DP World Tour Championship, most recently in 2020. Some golf fans questioned if the Sheffiled boy should’ve made Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup side this year, but how wrong they were.

He was superb for Europe and somewhat came of age on the first day when partnered with Ludvig Aberg. He also earned a crucial half with Bryson DeChambeau in the singles, albeit being 5 up early in the match. His selection was a result of super form at the end of the season. He is ranked 14th in Data Golf, particularly excelling around the greens and with his putting.

He wasn’t so good in Abu Dhabi last week, finishing mid-table, but he came in the top five at the Scottish Open and The Open, and in the top 10 at the British Masters, the Omega European Masters, and at Wentworth. The former US Open champion is at a very inviting price based on his form and improvement at the back end of this season.

Alex Noren – 22/1 – Betway

While Fitzpatrick appears an attractive betting prospect at the DP World Tour’s season finale, so does Alex Noren, who won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in September. The Swede is still showing signs of life and reminded us all of his world-class credentials aged 43.

He hasn’t played much on the DP World Tour this year, but when he has, he’s performed well. He also won the British Masters at the Belfry. He has climbed up the world rankings and back into the top 20 this year, and he will be looking to end the season strong.

In 2025, he has almost gained 1.5 strokes in putting and well over a shot in driving accuracy, approaching the green and around the greens. In 2022, he came second at this event, and he came second to McIlroy at the Dubai Desert Classic in 2015. In an attempt to gauge his form on the golf course in this part of the world, he hasn’t done too badly.

DP World Tour Championship preview: TV coverage

Thursday: Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event from 7 am
Friday: Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event from 7 am
Saturday: Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event from 7 am
Sunday: Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event from 6.30 am.

Who is playing?

Rory McIlroy, the leader in the Race to Dubai rankings, will be teeing it up on the Earth Course, as will the current second-placed player, Marco Penge, who has had a fantastic season on the DP World Tour.

Stars of the European scene, such as Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Bob MacIntyre, Matt Fitzpatrick, Kristoffer Reitan, John Parry, Dan Brown and Haotong Li are all in the top 50 of the Race to Dubai standings and are set to play one final time on the DP World Tour in 2025.

Previous winners during the season Martin Couvra, Thriston Lawrence, and Alex Noren, are also in the top 50 cut following the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, earning a place in the circuit’s finale.

Who could win the Race to Dubai?

As with any finale to the Race to Dubai, calculations are made to find out what the Race to Dubai leader needs to do in the final tournament to secure the season-long title. For the last three years, McIlroy has been at the centre stage.

To win the Race to Dubai again, Rory just needs to finish outright second.

For Marco Penge, there are several circumstances in which he could win the Race to Dubai:

• If he wins and McIlroy finishes below outright second
• If he finishes outright second and McIlroy is worse than outright fourth
• If he finishes tied for second with one other and McIlroy is tied eighth or worse with two others
• If he finishes tied second or worse with two others, and McIlroy is worse than outright 24th

Tyrrell Hatton would need to win, and for McIlroy to finish worse than tied for eighth with one other, and for Penge to finish worse than tied second with one other.

What is the DP World Tour Championship prize money?

The players will compete for the lion’s share of $10 million. This is slightly more than the $9 million purse that they played for at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

We will provide more details about the breakdown during the week. In 2024, Rory McIlroy won $3 million from the $10 million purse.

Are LIV Golfers allowed to play?

Yes. LIV Golfers are allowed to play in this event if they find themselves ranked in the top 50 on the Race to Dubai when it rolls around.

LIV players, who are also members of the DP World Tour, can still play in DP World Tour events as long as they address their sanctions (for playing in LIV events as per an arbitration ruling). They can address their sanctions by appealing them or by paying them.

Hatton is an example of a player who has appealed his fines, and while they are under appeal, he can play in DP World Tour events. His form has been solid in 2025, and this is why he is in the field.

Patrick Reed and Tom McKibbin are also LIV Golfers who are in the DP World Tour Championship.

NOW READ: How does the Race to Dubai work?

NOW READ: A full breakdown of the Race to Dubai prize money in 2025

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