With the 2025 Race to Dubai schedule midway through the second of a two-week break, the home straight is in sight for last year’s cohort of HotelPlanner Tour graduates.
For some, further DP World Tour silverware is a goal, while for others qualification to the season-ending DP World Tour Play-Offs is their target. In other cases, big performances are required to realise their pre-season objective of keeping their card via the Race to Dubai.
Of the 22 players to earn DP World Tour cards last year – including Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and Robin Williams who earned a higher exemption category via their performances on the Race to Dubai – there have been several who have caught the eye.
Three of the four HotelPlanner Tour graduates to have won silverware this season are among the 17 to have lifted a DP World Tour trophy for the first time.
In a sign of how consistent some have been, there are also three in the top ten of the Race to Dubai Rankings, with less than a third of the campaign remaining. The top 112 players on the rankings, who are not already exempt, are set to keep their DP World Tour cards for the following season.
Here, we rundown the fortunes of all 22 players* who earned promotion from the HotelPlanner Tour to the DP World Tour in 2024.
*(in ascending order of their Road to Mallorca Ranking)
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
Age: 26
Race to Dubai Ranking: 18
Earned automatic promotion to the DP World Tour last September with three HotelPlanner Tour titles and has since underlined his standing as one of Europe’s star emerging talents. Registered a top ten on his Rolex Series debut at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January, before finishing runner-up in Qatar and then in his PGA TOUR debut in Puerto Rico. Further top tens have since followed in the China double-header during the Asian Swing, while he finished in a tie for 12th at the U.S. Open in just his second Major Championship start. Having played at the Team Cup at the start of the year, he is in the conversation for a Ryder Cup debut at Bethpage.
John Parry
Age: 38
Race to Dubai Ranking: 7
The second of two players to have earned immediate promotion upon their third victory on the HotelPlanner Tour last season. Made a quick start to the season, backing up top tens in Australia and South Africa by winning in Mauritius to clinch a second DP World Tour title more than 14 years on from his first at the 2010 Vivendi Cup. The Race to Dubai Rankings leader at the end of last year, he came close to another piece of silverware in Kenya in February. Has played in two of the four Majors this year, finishing in a tie for 16th at The Open earlier this month as he made a hole-in-one at Royal Portrush. A spot at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai is a formality, while a PGA TOUR card is firmly in his sights.
Oliver Lindell
Age: 26
Race to Dubai Ranking: 54
Made the cut in each of his first five starts. His best result so far this season came in Italy, where he finished in a tie for tenth after a closing 66. But his highlight will be his performance on his Major debut at The Open, having come through Final Qualifying to earn more than €100,000 by finishing tied 28th. That was a result that lifted him to a new career high, just outside the world's top 250. Another year on the DP World Tour beckons for the Finn, at the very least. Sitting just outside the top 50 on the Race to Dubai, a spot at the season finale in Dubai will a source of motivation.
Ángel Ayora
Age: 20
Race to Dubai Ranking: 44
No doubting the talent the Spaniard possesses. Three top tens so far this season doesn’t quite do justice to the impression he has made, catching the eye of many past players who have since become commentators. Was recently in the mix to win the Italian Open, before struggling over the weekend. Still only 20, he teed it up on the PGA TOUR in Puerto Rico, but it is on the DP World Tour that he is making his name. Would be no surprise if he was to join the DP World Tour winner’s circle before the season is out.
Hamish Brown
Age: 26
Race to Dubai Ranking: 136
After an encouraging start to his rookie season on the DP World Tour, finishing in the top 20 in two of his first three starts, times have since proved tougher. Made one of ten cuts from Bahrain to Austria, meaning the Dane requires one or two big performances if he is to keep hold of his card next year.
Conor Purcell
Age: 28
Race to Dubai Ranking: 146
Another whose DP World Tour status for next season is in jeopardy. Without a top ten to his name in his rookie season on Tour, the Irishman finished in the top 20 over back-to-back starts in China but he has since been unable to kick on.
Kristoffer Reitan
Age: 27
Race to Dubai Ranking: 5
A breakout performer from the Class of 2024. Since a runner-up finish at the Hainan Classic - the final event of the Asian Swing – he has enjoyed a series of consistent results. Most notably was his victory at the Soudal Open, carding a course record 62 in the final round to claim his first DP World Tour title. Showed his ability to go low a week later as he finished with a 60 to finish in a tie for second in Austria. Ended a seven-year wait for his second Major appearance at The Open, extending his run of events without a missed cut to 11. Arrives as the highest-ranked on the Race to Dubai Rankings from the Class of 2024.
Joakim Lagergren
Age: 33
Race to Dubai Ranking: 52
The Swede has been on the DP World Tour scene for so long it was hard to believe that he only made his Major debut at the U.S. Open. His 2025 has seen him record two top tens, one of which was a runner-up finish at the KLM Open where he pushed Connor Syme hard. Despite that he is currently looking in from the outside in his hopes of returning to the DP World Tour Championship for the first time since 2022.
Jack Senior
Age: 37
Race to Dubai Ranking: 91
Two years ago the Englishman was considering walking away from the game after a series of injuries and personal issues led to him not having status on the DP World or HotelPlanner Tours for 2024. With his experience of the DP World Tour to call upon, he will hope he can produce the form that saw him twice finish a runner-up on the HotelPlanner Tour last year and keep hold of his card.
Joel Moscatel
Age: 27
Race to Dubai Ranking: 149
The Spaniard won twice on his way to earning promotion last year. The step-up appears to have proven a particular challenge, registering one top 20 in his 21 starts this season. With one made cut in his last seven appearances on the Race to Dubai, he will hope a break in the season will have helped provide time to work on his game and make up ground on the season-long rankings.
Mikael Lindberg
Age: 32
Race to Dubai Ranking: 165
Among our graduates with the most to do if they are to retain their status for next season. The 32-year-old is without a top 20 on his return back to the DP World Tour, but as we have seen with others it only takes one week for a spark to ignite a campaign.
Alexander Lévy
Age: 34
Race to Dubai Ranking: 138
Many might have thought that after a conistent campaign on the HotelPlanner Tour that saw him register six top tens on his way to promtion, the talented Frenchman would enjoy a successful comeback season. However, form has proved hard to come by for the five-time DP World Tour winner, who is without a top 20 through two thirds of the season.
Benjamin Hébert
Age: 38
Race to Dubai Ranking: 125
The Frenchman has two top 20s but is projected to lose his card as things stand. Will a run of events on his home continent help serve as a stimulus for him to climb the rankings on the resumption of the Closing Swing next week in Scotland?
Robin Williams
Age: 23
Race to Dubai Ranking: 114
Since earning a higher exemption category through his performances last season as a non-member, the South African has been a near ever-present this season. Only Jordan Gumberg has played in more events than the 22 starts he has made. After an inconsistent start to the season, where he made two of his first ten cuts, his form has picked up. He finished in the top 20 at the Joburg Open, before a season's best tie for seventh in Turkey. Will hope to take some momentum from another top 20 at the Barracuda Championship, in what was the final event prior to the ongoing break in the schedule.
Deon Germishuys
Age: 25
Race to Dubai Ranking: 97
Sometimes it can be just one week that is the difference between keeping or losing your card. A solo third place finish in Kenya is currently ensuring the South African is inside the provisional cut-off of the top 112 to secure DP World Tour Category 10 for next season. Will now he needs another big week before the conclusion of the tour's regular season, specifically the Back 9 phase.
Björn Åkesson
Age: 36
Race to Dubai Ranking: 184
The Swede completed a sensational return to professional golf when he secured a maiden HotelPlanner Tour title in South Africa last season. He hasn't managed to make an impression in his first year back at this level since 2016, however, making four cuts from his 18 starts.
Martin Couvra
Age: 22
Race to Dubai Ranking: 8
One of the stars of the season. Finished in the top ten in three of his first five starts, before landing a maiden title as a professional in his rookie season on the DP World Tour in Turkey. Challenged for a second win of the campaign in Italy, finishing runner-up to fellow Frenchman Adrien Saddier. However, it was a result that secured a Major debut at The Open, a week after his first Rolex Series start at the Genesis Scottish Open. Should he keep up his impressive performances, he appears set to earn dual PGA TOUR membership for 2026.
Brandon Robinson-Thompson
Age: 32
Race to Dubai Ranking: 34
The Englishman is comfortably on track to qualify for the DP Word Tour Championship - an ambition for any player in their rookie season. He has four top tens to his name across varying conditions, with his course record 61 in Bahrain likely to be a stand-out highlight. Broke into the world's top 200 for the first time earlier this year, and will have confidence in his ability to continue making his mark on the global stage.
Tapio Pulkkanen
Age: 35
Race to Dubai Ranking: 101
An umistakenable presence on the fairways due to his trilby hat, the Finn bounced back at the first opportunity to return to the DP World Tour after a six-season spell came to an end in 2023. A year ago he was teeing it up at the Olympic Games in France, but he has struggled for consistency on Golf's Global Tour. He held a share of the halfway lead at the Volvo China Open in April, before a pair of 71s saw him finish in a tie for seventh. Since then he has missed six of his next seven cuts.
Pierre Pineau
Age: 25
Race to Dubai Ranking: 164
In his first full season as a member on the DP World Tour, the Frenchman has struggled to establish himself. While there have been occassions he has impressed, notably in tough conditions during the first round of the KLM Open, he has struggled to produce four rounds of consistent golf. With one top 20 from his 19 starts this season, he is left with plenty of work to do over the coming months to force his way into the top 112.
Nicolai von Dellingshausen
Age: 32
Race to Dubai Ranking: 22
The German was no stranger to the DP World Tour, having first earned his card in 2021, when he finished runner-up at the Tenerife Open earlier that season. After some tough times over recent years, he is reaping the rewards of putting in the hard yards. He was one of the form players on Tour during the European Swing, backing up his maiden DP World Tour title in Austria with back-to-back top tens in the Netherlands and Italy. Dual PGA TOUR membership is likely to be a goal over the coming months.
Lucas Bjerregaard
Age: 33
Race to Dubai Ranking: 162
A former top 50 player in the world, last season saw the Dane rekindled the form which saw him become a two-time DP World Tour winner. His runner-up result on home soil last year was his best finish on Tour since 2021, and he will be hoping for something similar when he return to compete on home soil at the Danish Golf Championship. After a run of eight consecutive missed cuts earlier in the season, he has three top-30 finishes in his last six starts.
