How does the Race to Dubai work?
Here is a breakdown of the Race to Dubai as we near the end of the DP World Tour season…
The PGA Tour has the FedEx Cup and the DP World Tour equivalent is the Race to Dubai. Let’s take a look at what it is…
What is the Race to Dubai?
The Race to Dubai is a season-long competition on the DP World Tour schedule, culminating in a season finale, the DP World Tour Championship, for the top 50 players in the rankings.
It is used to crown the tour’s number one golfer by accumulating points from each event that a player participates in and the winner is the golfer with the most points at the end of the season. It was formerly known as the Order of Merit up until 2009.
DP World Tour Championship
The season-ending event is the DP World Tour Championship and is only for the top 50 players in the standings. These 50 players will battle to win the season’s finale and the lion’s share of the $10 million prize purse.
The DP World Tour Championship is played on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.
How does the Race to Dubai work?
The Race to Dubai is essentially a league table for players who play DP World Tour events. When the European Tour was rebranded as the DP World Tour, the Race to Dubai was temporarily named the DP World Tour Rankings.
There is currently a provisional cut-off in the Race to Dubai rankings where players’ DP World Tour membership is in jeopardy. The cut-off usually comes for the top 110 players, but the cut currently stands at the top 116 players.
Different tournaments offer different points values based on their prestige and strength of field. For example, the BMW PGA Championship is the flagship event on the DP World Tour schedule and carries more points value than other regular events in the season. The player who accumulates the most points at the end of the season is the winner of the Race to Dubai. The season’s finale, the DP World Tour Championship, used to host 60 players but it has now been reduced to 50 players.Past Winners
There have been 10 previous winners of the Race to Dubai over the past 14 years.
2009 Lee Westwood
2010 Martin Kaymer
2011 Luke Donald
2012 Rory McIlroy
2013 Henrik Stenson
2014 Rory McIlroy
2015 Rory McIlroy
2016 Henrik Stenson
2017 Tommy Fleetwood
2018 Francesco Molinari
2019 Jon Rahm
2020 Lee Westwood
2021 Collin Morikawa
2022 Rory McIlroy
Did you know…
There have only been two golfers that have won both season-long competitions for the European and PGA tours
Rory McIlroy: Race to Dubai 2012, 2014 and 2015 FedEx Cup: 2016
Henrik Stenson: Race to Dubai 2013 and 2016 FedEx Cup: 2013
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Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
