There will be several winners at the conclusion of the DP World Tour Championship come Sunday in Dubai, although it all depends on what you play.
Rory McIlroy is after another Race to Dubai title, which would give him eight for his career and tie him with Colin Montgomerie for the most of all time. McIlroy was tied for the lead after 36 holes but struck out with three straight bogeys on Nos. 8-10 at Jumeirah Golf Estates on Saturday. He finished with a birdie on the par-5 18th – missing just one short eagle attempt – to shoot 72 and is tied for fourth at five under.
McIlroy is four back Tyrrell Hattonwith whom he shared the 36-hole lead. Hatton now sits alone atop the leaderboard at nine under, having secured the 54-hole lead after driving it into the creek on the 18th on Saturday, dropped and hit his next shot into the bunker, but got up and down to save par.
A win for Hatton would be his first in the DP World Championship, and cap an impressive run of golf coming off last week’s second place finish in Abu Dhabi.
“I think my iron game has been pretty good these last two weeks,” Hatton said. “Last week I was really happy with my wedges. This week, it’s a little more difficult to get the right wedges to be honest. And then the other thing would just be the putter. I did a lot of work with the starting line and read putts and sort of visualizing the ball coming in. I think it’s shown these two weeks.”
Eugenio Chacarra, also tied at five under, could become just the third Spaniard – joining Jon Rahm and Seve Ballesteros – to win the Race to Dubai. Chacarra made nine birdies on Saturday, and is projected to win the race of the season at this point (although McIlroy is in second and could overtake him).
“I’m just playing free,” Chacarra said. “This is an extra bonus to have the opportunity to win, and just to enjoy every moment. Not many people can enjoy this moment and have the chance to win the Race to Dubai.”
There is also Adam Scott, who is playing for a long win. The 46-year-old Masters champion is among Hatton’s five-under and four-time group; looking for his first win since the 2020 Genesis Invitational.
“I’ll take every win, first and foremost, but these are the kind of events I’d like to put on my resume at this point in my career, being a long-time DP World Tour player, I’d like to win one of their flagship events,” said Scott. “It would mean a lot just to win something at this point for me, but it would be really great.”
Although McIlroy winning a season-long points race or Scott winning a tournament are nice stories and all, they are probably not the most significant story that takes place in the final round (which will be mostly at night for those in the States). This title could belong to those who play in the top 10 of the final Race to Dubai standings, which means that they will earn PGA Tour cards for the next season (if they do not already have one).
And a PGA Tour membership, while still valuable, is even more crucial next season. The Tour is split into a Championship Series and a Challenger Series coming in 2028, meaning playing on the Tour in 2027 would be a massive start for any pro hoping to play their way into the more lucrative Championship Series.
That includes guys like Chacarra, Casey Jarvis, Daniel Hillier, Mikael Lindberg and others. All are currently planning to earn cards.
Lindberg is 33 years old, but has never been a member of the PGA Tour. He is six under, in third only, and three behind Hatton. Another good day means he stays in that top 10. He is projected for 15th in the classification of the Race to Dubai as of now, but if the tournament ends on Saturday, he will still secure a place given that some players (such as McIlroy and Ryan Fox, etc.) already have Tour cards.
And you have to give Lindberg credit: He didn’t realize how difficult the task ahead could be come Sunday.
“I’ve won on this tour, I know I can do it,” Lindberg said. “But at this stage, I don’t know. There are a lot of big names up there.”