The season finish is upon us. The top 70 available players, and two members of the European Ryder Cup winning team, have made their way to the Middle East for the start of the DP World Tour Play-Offs at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Let’s take a whistlestop tour of those on display at Yas Links this week.
| Race to Dubai Ranking | Player | Age | Country | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rory McIlroy | 36 | Northern Ireland | In his own words, 2025 is the best year of his career and who’d argue with him. After claiming the Green Jacket – something which for so long had eluded him – to become a Grand Slam winner, he has since won on his homecoming in Ireland and is now in pole position to win the Harry Vardon Trophy for a seventh time. |
| 2 | Marco Penge | 27 | England | It’s been a career-changing 12 months for the Englishman, who arrives in Abu Dhabi as the only three-time winner this season, and with his career only set to continue to progress with dual membership on the PGA TOUR beckoning - he will hope to cap his season off by toppling McIlroy as the Race to Dubai champion. |
| 3 | Tyrrell Hatton | 34 | England | Began the year with a Rolex Series victory in Dubai and hasn’t looked back in truth, impressing in his limited starts to qualify automatically for the Ryder Cup where he went unbeaten in New York, contributing 3½ points from four matches. A player who relishes the bigger stages, he finished runner-up at this event last year. |
| 4 | Kristoffer Reitan | 27 | Norway | The HotelPlanner Tour graduate is one of the stories of the campaign after becoming only the second Norwegian to win on the DP World Tour, with a further seven top tens ensuring he has a PGA TOUR card sewn up. |
| 5 | Adrien Saddier | 33 | France | Celebrated a landmark 200th start on the DP World Tour with victory in Italy, coming close to a second in a play-off defeat on the Rolex Series stage at the BMW PGA Championship. |
| 6 | Robert MacIntyre | 29 | Scotland | Continues to take his game to new heights, firmly establishing himself as a truly global talent and celebrated victory on home soil for the second time in as many years in his most recent start. He nearly won the U.S. Open too, finishing runner-up to J.J. Spaun. |
| 7 | John Parry | 38 | England | A late bloomer, who is reaping the rewards of persistence after building on his promotion from the HotelPlanner Tour by returning to the DP World Tour winner’s circle after a 14-year absence towards the start of the season which has included a further six top tens. Currently in line for a PGA Tour card. |
| 8 | Alex Noren | 43 | Sweden | What’s that saying about class being permanent? Well, having missed the bulk of the first half of the year, he has made a stunning return to action with two DP World Tour titles in as many months to become the most successful Swedish player in DP World Tour history. Currently in line for a PGA Tour card. |
| 9 | Laurie Canter | 35 | England | After a strong start to the season, including a victory and finishing second and third to secure a debut at the Masters, the Englishman struggled to maintain that level. Found some form again with a runner-up finish last time out in Korea. Currently in line for a PGA Tour card |
| 10 | Haotong Li | 30 | China | Having claimed his fourth DP World Tour title in Qatar in the early months of the campaign, the Chinese star was at the centre of international focus when he played alongside Scottie Scheffler in the final group at The Open. Currently in line for a PGA Tour card. |
| 11 | Daniel Brown | 30 | England | Sealed an emotional victory – his second on Tour – in Germany, days after losing his friend, and came close to adding more silverware as he lost out to countryman Penge in a play-off in Spain. Currently in line for a PGA Tour card |
| 12 | Keita Nakajima | 25 | Japan | An event winner in 2024 and now a Swing winner in2025, the former top-ranked amateur has four top fives this season including back-to-back runner-up finishes in March. Currently in line for a PGA Tour card |
| 13 | Jordan Smith | 32 | England | While a win has so far eluded him this season, finishing runner-up twice, it has been another campaign of consistency for the Englishman and he has dual membership within his grasp. Currently occupying the last spot for a PGA Tour card. |
| 14 | Martin Couvra | 22 | France | One would suspect he is a contender for Rookie of the Year honours, following a maiden DP World Tour title in Turkey. Has drawn comparisons with McIlroy, in part due to his similar swing but also for his curly locks. |
| 15 | Matt Fitzpatrick | 31 | England | Comes into the Play Offs as one of the form players in the game, making every cut from the Masters onwards and amassing eight top tens in that time. Part of Europe’s winning Ryder Cup team at Bethpage, he is a two-time champion at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship. |
| 16 | Joakim Lagergren | 33 | Sweden | A three-time Qualifying School and 2024 HotelPlanner Tour graduate, Lagergren has two runner-up finishes this year as he looks to add to his win at the 2018 2018 Rocco Forte Sicilian Open. |
| 17 | Elvis Smylie | 23 | Australia | A winner in the first event of his rookie season at the BMW Australia PGA Championship, the 23-year-old has had three other top tens this year, most recently a runner-up at the FedEx Open de France. He has consistently stayed inside the top 30 on the Rankings, and is making his first start at the DP World Tour Play-Offs. |
| 18 | Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen | 26 | Denmark | A top-tier win is surely imminent for a man whose CV includes a stunning amateur career and three wins en route to winning the 2024 Road to Mallorca plus seven top tens on the DP World Tour and a runner-up finish on the PGA TOUR in 2025. |
| 20 | Daniel Hillier | 27 | New Zealand | A winner at the 2023 Betfred British Masters, the two-time New Zealand Amateur champion bounced back from a disappointing 2024 with a runner-up finish at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic early in the season. |
| 21 | Thriston Lawrence | 28 | South Africa | While he may have struggled on the PGA TOUR and rarely been at his best on this side of the Atlantic, Lawrence still showed all his winner’s instinct in claiming a second title in Switzerland on the Back 9 to take his overall tally to five. |
| 22 | Patrick Reed | 35 | United States | The 2018 Masters champion should warm to the venue and the stage this week with two of his top tens in 2025 coming in the UAE and three of them coming in Majors or Rolex Series events. |
| 23 | Jayden Schaper | 24 | South Africa | A third full season on Tour and a third consecutive season of improvement for Schaper who has more top tens (9) than any other player in 2025 and three in his last four starts. |
| 24 | Angel Ayora | 21 | Spain | The Spanish sensation had two top tens in his first three starts after graduating from the HotelPlanner Tour and is bookending his season beautifully with another five in his last eight appearances. |
| 26 | Tommy Fleetwood | 34 | England | Fleetwood has gone from upper echelon regular to global superstar in 2025, winning an eighth DP World tour title, a first PGA TOUR title – and the FedEx Cup to boot - and another Ryder Cup while reaching a career-high fifth in the Official World Golf Ranking. |
| 27 | Shaun Norris | 43 | South Africa | Claimed his second DP World Tour win at December’s Alfred Dunhill Championship as part of a start to the season that saw him seal five top tens in seven starts and has secured a career-high finish on the Race to Dubai. |
| 28 | Jacques Kruyswijk | 33 | South Africa | Seems odd to have a breakout year in the season you rack up your 150th DP World Tour appearances but Kruyswijk has done just that, winning in Kenya and finishing second on home soil to easily have his best season since being a Q School graduate in 2017. |
| 29 | Joost Luiten | 39 | Netherlands | Continues to prove that having to play on a career money exemption in 2023 was a blip as he looks on course for an 11th season inside the top 50 since 2010, with 20 made cuts and four top tens in 25 appearances. |
| 30 | Rasmus Højgaard | 24 | Denmark | A Ryder Cup debut will be the undoubted 2025 highlight for Højgaard but he also went close to claiming second titles at both his home event and in Switzerland, while further bolstering his reputation on the PGA TOUR too. |
| 31 | Andy Sullivan | 38 | England | Another season of fantastic consistency from the four-time winner with five top tens and 19 made cuts for the man who has finished in the top 100 on the Rankings for the last 12 seasons. |
| 32 | Eugenio Chacarra | 25 | Spain | Wasn’t even a member at the start of the year but capitalised on an invite to win at the Hero Indian Open as his form during the Asian Swing saw him earn a return to the Major scene in the US PGA Championship. |
| 33 | Nicolai von Dellingshausen | 32 | Germany | A DP World Tour semi-regular with two runner-up finishes, the German graduated from the HotelPlanner Tour last year and finally made his mark with a victory in Austria, following it with two further top tens as part of a stunning June run. |
| 34 | Michael Kim | 28 | United States | Perhaps best known outside of the US for his fantastically honest social media presence, his golf has very much done the talking in limited starts in 2025 with a win at the FedEx Open de France and top ten in India. |
| 35 | Richard Mansell | 30 | England | 2025 saw the Englishman’s consistency finally rewarded with a win at the Porsche Singapore Classic and he will be looking for a big finish to the season after making just three cuts on the Back 9. |
| 36 | Marcus Armitage | 38 | England | This season has seen a welcome return to something like his best for the man affectionately known as the Bullet after he finished outside the top 100 last year, with a runner-up finish in Ras Al Khaimah and two further top fives. |
| 37 | Calum Hill | 30 | Scotland | Returned to the DP World Tour’s winner’s circle for the first time since 2021 with victory in Joburg, since which the Scot has added two further top tens. |
| 38 | Kazuma Kobori | 24 | New Zealand | Born to Japanese parents, the New Zealander, who earned his card by winning the 2023/24 Challenger PGA TOUR of Australasia Order of Merit, has finished second and third this season. |
| 39 | Nicolai Højgaard | 24 | Denmark | Missed out on Ryder Cup qualification but is now two years into being a truly global player featuring across both the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR and is set for a return to the season finale after missing out on defending his title in Dubai 12 months ago. |
| 40 | Oliver Lindell | 27 | Finland | After making the cut in each of his first five DP World Tour starts this season, the Finn enjoyed a fine run of three top tens in five starts after the summer break in what has been a strong rookie campaign at this level. |
| 41 | Tom McKibbin | 22 | Northern Ireland | Has racked up points by producing on the big stage this year, with a top ten in Dubai and four consecutive top 20s on the Back 9 including at the BMW PGA Championship, to go with a best finish of third in Singapore. |
| 42 | Johannes Veerman | 33 | United States | Was an early leader of the Rankings after claiming the biggest win of his career at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in his first start of the season but has just one top ten since and has more missed cuts than made in 2025. |
| 43 | Ewen Ferguson | 29 | Scotland | A fourth consecutive finish in the top 50 potentially beckons for the Scot, who had an impressive spring with a runner-up finish in Belgium and top five at the KLM Open before cracking the top five again at Wentworth. |
| 44 | Jorge Campillo | 39 | Spain | Another consistent campaign from a man you could set your watch by, he was a runner-up in Turkey and has another top ten in his 14th consecutive season inside the top 100 on the Rankings. |
| 45 | Grant Forrest | 32 | Scotland | His second DP World Tour win came on home soil at the Nexo Championship earlier this year and is one he will never forget after getting a congratulatory facetime off US President Donald Trump. But it is also his only top ten of the season, although he did finish tied 11th at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last month. |
| 46 | Nacho Elvira | 38 | Spain | It’s been a quiet season for the steady Spaniard and with one top ten from 27 events it looked like it would come a premature conclusion before he finished second in Korea to catapult himself into this week’s field. |
| 47 | Connor Syme | 30 | Scotland | A strong start to the season was rewarded in the summer with a maiden victory at the KLM Open and while he has not been at his best since, he is still on track to make his way to the season finale for the fourth consecutive year. |
| 48 | Marcel Schneider | 35 | Germany | A career-best year could be on the cards after a runner-up finish in Austria and three other top tens but he has gone off the boil a little since the summer. |
| 49 | Jacob Skov Olesen | 26 | Denmark | An undisputed star in the making, the 2024 Amateur Champion gained a HotelPlanner Tour card via the GAP Rankings but then sealed a DP World Tour card at the Qualifying School and makes a Rolex Series debut this week after a season that has seen him secure six top tens and lead The Open Championship. |
| 50 | Brandon Robinson Thompson | 33 | England | The HotelPlanner Tour graduate is proving he is much more than just a social media golfer, securing four top tens this season and proving he can go seriously low with a 61 in Bahrain. |
| 51 | Todd Clements | 29 | England | Has taken to Tour life beautifully since a debut season in 2023 that saw him claim a win and has four top tens this season en route to a career-best Rankings finish. |
| 52 | Matthew Jordan | 29 | England | Surely a win is just around the corner for the Englishman who has been a picture of consistency across six seasons and had his best Tour finish when runner-up at the Nedbank Golf Challenge last December. |
| 53 | Dylan Naidoo | 27 | South Africa | Was a runner-up in Mauritius and just over two months later entered the winner’s circle with an emotional play-off victory at the Investec South African Open Championship, although he has remarkably made just eight cuts from 23 starts outside of that. |
| 54 | Francesco Laporta | 35 | Italy | A man who is truly starting to establish himself after some yo-yo years, Laporta enjoyed three consecutive top tens over the summer that played a big part in him making it to the UAE. |
| 55 | Aaron Rai | 30 | England | With top 35s in all four Major Championships this season, the Englishman racked up points where it mattered before a top three at Wentworth ensured his place in the Play-Offs. |
| 56 | Darius van Driel | 36 | Netherlands | A top five in South Africa helped get his season off to a strong start and while he lost his way a little over the summer, a runner-up finish at the Soudal Open sent him up the Rankings and he enters this week in decent form. |
| 57 | Alejandro del Rey | 27 | Spain | Claimed a maiden win on just his second start of the season in Ras Al Khaimah and while he then endured a rougher spell, he has made seven of his last eight cuts so should arrive in Abu Dhabi full of confidence. |
| 58 | Ryan Gerard | 26 | United States | The American was making just his eighth DP World Tour appearance when he lifted the trophy at the Barracuda Championship and took up membership. His fifth appearance earlier in the season was also a memorable one with a tie for eighth at the US PGA Championship. |
| 60 | Joel Girrbach | 32 | Switzerland | Racking up 31 appearances so far this season, the Swiss was battling to keep his card not that long ago but two top tens on the Back 9 have sent him flying up the Rankings in what will be a career-best season. |
| 61 | Alex Fitzpatrick | 26 | England | Less than a month ago, the brother of Matt was fighting for his card but a top ten in Spain followed by a top three in India turned his season around and he will now be looking to maintain his momentum and head to Dubai. |
| 62 | Romain Langasque | 30 | France | A runner-up four times in the last three seasons, including in his opener at the Nedbank Golf Challenge this campaign, the Frenchman is surely due a long-awaited second win, although he has not recorded a top ten since May. |
| 63 | Junghwan Lee | 34 | South Korea | One result to gain points was all the South Korean needed, with his victory at the Genesis Championship and subsequent taking up of membership sending him flying into the Play-Off positions. |
| 64 | Ugo Coussaud | 33 | France | His first top ten of the season was just last month but Coussaud has been a constant in the Play-Off picture thanks to just five missed cuts all season as he kept grinding out the points. |
| 65 | Andrea Pavan | 36 | Italy | A man who made just 14 cuts across three seasons not so long ago, his return to the Tour in 2024 has seen a return to the form that has brought him two DP World Tour victories and he is in the field this week courtesy of a fourth-placed finish last time out in Korea. |
| 67 | Ben Schmidt | 23 | England | One of just two 2024 Q School graduates to make the Play-Offs along with Olesen, the rookie is in the UAE thanks to top fives in Qatar and Denmark and looks to have a bright future ahead of him. |
| 68 | Manuel Elvira | 29 | Spain | A graduate of the HotelPlanner Tour in 2023, the Spaniard – brother of two-time DP World Tour winner Nacho - is set for his debut at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship after a campaign featuring three top tens. |
| 69 | Richard Sterne | 44 | South Africa | The South African – a six-time winner on the DP World Tour – has gone from battling for his card to secure a spot at the opening event of the Play-Offs, with three top 20s and a tie for third over his last six starts. |
| 70 | Rafa Cabrera Bello | 41 | Spain | With a good record in Abu Dhabi, including a runner-up finish at Yas Links in 2022, the 2016 Ryder Cup player might fancy his chances of being in title contention this week as he eyes a return to the winner’s circle for the first time since 2021. |
| 71 | Mikael Lindberg | 32 | Sweden | A graduate of the HotelPlanner Tour last year, the Swede has played his way into the opening event of the Play-Offs so can reflect on a good year’s work. Has two top tens in his last three starts so should come in with confidence and a nothing to lose mindset. |
| 72 | Ryggs Johnston | 25 | United States | After graduating from the DP World Tour Qualifying School, the American sensationally won on just his second appearance at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open while ranked 954th in the world. Made his Major Championship at The Open in the summer as a result, but he has struggled for consistency this season and just snuck into the field. |
| 73 | Jeong weon Ko | 27 | France | The Frenchman – a graduate of the HotelPlanner Tour in 2022 – owes much to his runner-up finish at his national open for securing his berth at the opening event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs. |
| 74 | Joe Dean | 31 | England | The Englishman was one of the stories of 2024, reaching the DP World Tour Championship after a campaign that featured a play-off defeat at the KLM Open and an appearance at The Open. This season has proved tougher, with a runner-up finish at the Nexo Championship in Scotland the undoubted highlight. |
| * | Ludvig Åberg | 26 | Sweden | The Swede finished seventh at the Masters Tournament and eighth at the Genesis Scottish Open to almost secure his spot by his own right. Set for his debut in Abu Dhabi. |
| * | Shane Lowry | 38 | Ireland | The Irishman, who secured the vital half-point to retain the Ryder Cup at Bethpage, is no stranger to success in the UAE, having lifted the Falcon Trophy in 2019. |
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, while Ryder Cup player Sepp Straka withdrew due to personal reasons.
