DP World Tour Play-Offs: All you need to know

After 40 events across 27 countries, two more - the DP World Tour Play-Offs - remain to determine the Race to Dubai champion for 2025.

Via five continents, five Global Swings, four Major Championships, three Rolex Series events and 33 regular DP World Tour outings, we have seen 36 different winners, with 19 lifting a DP World Tour trophy for the first time.

For the second season in a row, the third and final distinct phase in the 2025 Race to Dubai comprises of the concluding two Rolex Series events, held in the United Arab Emirates.

Here, we explain all you need to know...

What are the DP World Tour Play-Offs?

Introduced as part of a new-look schedule for the first time last year, the DP World Tour Play-Offs are the final sprint of the 2025 Race to Dubai.

The top 70 available players on the Race to Dubai Rankings will contest the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, before the top 50 available players tee it up in the season finale at the DP World Tour Championship.

There are an elevated 9,000 Race to Dubai Ranking Points on offer at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, while there are 12,000 available at the DP World Tour Championship, with players awarded a share of the points based on their finishing position in each tournament.

There is a prize fund of $9 million in Abu Dhabi, before that is upped to $10 million in Dubai.

When are the DP World Tour Play-Offs?

Starting in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship will open the DP World Tour Play-Offs from Thursday, November 6th to Sunday, November 9th at Yas Links.

The campaign comes to a close at the DP World Tour Championship as we close out the schedule from Thursday, November 13th to Sunday, November 16th over the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

How did players qualify?

Beginning last November and running through to August, the first phase of the season consisted of five Global Swings, before the Back 9 ran from late August through to the end of October.

DP World Tour members have been able to win Race to Dubai points at each event, with 3,000 Race to Dubai Ranking Points on offer within the Global Swings and an increased 5,000 points in the Back 9.

The first three Rolex Series events this season all carried 8,000 points.

What is at stake?

Rory McIlroy arrives in pole position to win the Race to Dubai title for a seventh time and move a step closer to Colin Montgomerie's record of eight.

Twice a winner this season, at Augusta National to complete the career Grand Slam and then at the Amgen Irish Open, the Northern Irishman holds a lead of 441.32 points over England's Marco Penge.

The top ten* in the DP World Tour Rankings at the end of the DP World Tour Play-Offs will share a bonus pool of $6m, with the number one player claiming $2m.

At the end of the tournament, the top ten DP World Tour members on the final Race to Dubai Rankings (not otherwise exempt) will earn a PGA TOUR card, becoming dual members for the 2026 season.

* Players must have participated in at least four counting tournaments in the current season, including the DP World Tour Championship, to be eligible for a share of this bonus pool.

To view the Race to Dubai Rankings ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, click here.

To view the Race to Dubai Rankings Bonus Pool, click here.

Who is in action in the Middle East?

An array of international talent - featuring Major champions, Ryder Cup heroes and Rolex Series winners - are set to contest the DP World Tour Play-Offs.

Three of the world's top ten are set to contest the opening event in Abu Dhabi, with McIlroy joined by Tommy Fleetwood and Robert MacIntyre.

The world-class field will also feature this season's sole three-time DP World Tour winner so far, Marco Penge, who is at a career-high 29th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

All eligible winners on the 2025 Race to Dubai are teeing it up at Yas Links, including Sweden's Alex Noren after his two triumphs during the Back 9 at The Belfry and Wentworth Club.

Nine members of Europe's winning Ryder Cup team are teeing it up at the penultimate event of the campaign, with Ludvig Åberg, Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka's inclusion on Luke Donald's side* securing their spot in addition to the leading 70 players on the Rankings.

Of the players to finish in the top 70 on the Race to Dubai Rankings, Justin Rose (19), Viktor Hovland (25), Jon Rahm (59) and Matt Wallace (66) have opted to not take up their place in the field.

*Straka withdrew from the two DP World Tour Play-Off events due to personal reasons.

What is the format for both events?

The DP World Tour Play-Offs will be contested over 72-hole individual strokeplay, with no cut.

Who are the defending champions?

Paul Waring enjoyed a career-best season on the DP World Tour in 2024, with the undoubted highlight his victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship as he became a Rolex Series winner.

The victory - his second on the DP World Tour - at Yas Links saw him rise 43 places to fifth on the Race to Dubai Rankings and help guarantee a PGA TOUR card as a dual member in 2025. However, he struggled for form stateside and he will miss his title defence after a shoulder injury meant he has not played since the Genesis Scottish Open.

Rory McIlroy finished the 2024 DP World Tour campaign in style by winning the season-ending DP World Tour Championship for a third time by two shots.

The Northern Irishman is in pole position to win the Harry Vardon Trophy for a seventh time, having completed the career Grand Slam at the Masters and adding a memorable triumph at the Amgen Irish Open in September.

Who has won so far on the Rolex Series?

Click here to learn more about the Rolex Series.

How can I watch it?

European Tour Productions, the DP World Tour’s in-house production company, will produce and distribute live coverage of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and DP World Tour Championship.

For specific broadcast timings of all territories please check your local listings.