The 2025 Race to Dubai drew to a close over the weekend at the DP World Tour Championship, and three of last year’s HotelPlanner Tour graduates ended the year by earning dual membership on the PGA TOUR for the 2026 season.
Dane Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, last year’s Road to Mallorca Number One, started the week at Jumeirah Golf Estates 19th on the Race to Dubai and outside the projected cut-off to earn PGA TOUR playing privileges. However, following rounds of 68-67-68 at the Earth Course, Neergaard-Petersen found himself in Sunday’s final group alongside five-time Major Champion Rory McIlroy and on course to secure one of ten PGA TOUR cards.
However, sitting one over par for the day midway through the back nine, Neergaard-Petersen looked set to miss out on what was a low scoring final day in Dubai. Yet, with ground to make up, the Dane closed out his round with a birdie-eagle-par-birdie-birdie finish to end the season finale in a tie for third on 17 under par alongside European Ryder Cup stars Tommy Fleetwood and Ludvig Åberg and HotelPlanner Tour alumni Laurie Canter. The result saw Neergaard-Petersen climb four spots to 15th on the Race to Dubai to secure the second-to-last available card, with Englishman Jordan Smith taking the last one.
England’s John Parry won three times on the HotelPlanner Tour last year and continued his upward trajectory on Golf’s Global Tour this year. Parry sealed his first DP World Tour victory in 14 years at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open before going on to register two further runner-up finishes and four top tens. The 39-year-old’s impressive return to the DP World Tour meant he started the season finale in Dubai seventh in the Rankings and in a strong position to secure PGA TOUR status. And after ending the week in 28th place and 11th on the Race to Dubai, Parry will tee it up on the PGA TOUR for the first time, just a year after he finished second on the Road to Mallorca Rankings.
Norwegian Kristoffer Reitan, who won the 2024 Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A, entered the DP World Tour Championship already assured of PGA TOUR playing rights for the 2026 season. Reitan has gone from strength to strength since earning promotion at Club de Golf Alcanada 12 months ago. Following a second place finish at the Hainan Classic, Reitan secured a breakthrough victory at the Soudal Open before going on register six more top ten finishes. And despite finishing down the leaderboard at the Earth Course, the Norwegian ended the year eighth on the Race to Dubai to pick up the third available PGA TOUR card.
Frenchman Martin Couvra and Spaniard Angel Ayora, both 2024 graduates, finished just outside the PGA TOUR cards in 19th and 20th positions respectively.
