As Rory McIlroy concludes his Race to Dubai winning campaign with a DP World Tour Championship win, a further 10 players were celebrating their potentially career-changing success.
For the second year in a row, the top 10 players in the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai rankings who were not already exempt have secured 2025 PGA Tour cards and dual membership for next season.
Robert McIntyre was one of the players to benefit from a route between the two tours last season, securing wins at the RBC Canadian Open and Genesis Scottish Open, while Mathieu Pabon also made strides on the PGA Tour. won the season.
Rasmus Hejgaard topped the 2024 qualifiers, earning bonus invitations to both The Players and the first two signature events, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational, while the remaining nine He was able to split his time between Europe and America for the season.
Players must accept PGA Tour status by Nov. 29, and if they decline to participate on both tours, the spot will be given to the next highest golfer in the season-long rankings.
From a golfer previously dubbed “the next Rory McIlroy,” to another who temporarily retired from the sport, to multiple Ryder Cup hopefuls, now has the chance to earn dual memberships. Let’s take a look at 10 people…
Rasmus Højgaard
Race to position in Dubai: No. 2
Highlights of 2024: 1 win (Amgen Irish Open), 8 top 10s
Huygaard almost clinched a PGA Tour card last year – won by Mathieu Pabon on the closing hole in Dubai – but has vowed to join his brother Nikolai on the tour next year with a strong campaign. .
The highlight of Heigaard’s eight top-10 finishes came at the Amgen Irish Open, where he birdied four of the final five holes with a stunning final-round 65 and a one-stroke victory over McIlroy. Won his fifth DP World Tour title.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Rasmus Højgaard finished the final day of the Irish Open in style with birdies on the 16th, 17th and 18th holes for a dramatic victory.
He then pushed McIlroy to the end in the season finale in Dubai, finishing two strokes behind the Northern Irishman. Heigaard is currently in the top 50 in the world and hopes to emulate his brother by securing a Ryder Cup debut for Team Europe with Bethpage Black.
Thriston Lawrence
Race to Dubai standings: third
Highlights of 2024: 5 runner-up finishes, 10 top 10 finishes
Lawrence has won four times on the DP World Tour since joining the tour as a rookie in 2021, earning him the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award.r But interestingly, he didn’t win any of them this year, and was by far his strongest.
What makes the South African stand out in 2024 is his record of five second-place finishes on the DP World Tour, making him McIlroy’s remaining rival for the Race to Dubai title towards the end of the season. It’s a sense of stability.
Thriston Lawrence narrowly misses out on his first major victory at the British Open at Royal Troon
Lawrence won his first major at this year’s Open, with the 27-year-old briefly leading the final group alongside Billy Horschel before finishing fourth. He had 10 top-10 finishes on the 2024 DP World Tour, more than any other player.
paul waring
Race to Dubai standings: 5th
Highlights of 2024: 1 win (Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship), 6 top 10s
Waring, a 39-year-old Brit, has been on the DP World Tour since earning his card at qualification school in 2007 and is something of a journeyman. However, over the years he has struggled with poor form and injuries, with just one win. – He made his mark on this season by making his 200th tour start at the 2018 Nordea Masters.
The British rider started at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship just as he was looking to maintain a top 50 spot in the Race to Dubai rankings and qualify for the DP World Tour Championship, but his career ended in the second round. He scored a best score of 61 and topped the world rankings. He set the course record and set up a career-changing victory.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights from Paul Waring’s stunning victory at the final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
His ties for third and sixth place, ahead of his two-stroke victory in Abu Dhabi, put him among the five players to finish in the top 10 throughout 2024, and he has earned more than €1.4 million in prize money. [£1.17m] – More in a single event than he earned in every season except 2019 on the DP World Tour.
Jesper Svensson
Race to Dubai standings: 10th place
Highlights of 2024: 1 win (Porsche Singapore Classic), 6 top 10s
Svensson joined the DP World Tour this season after showing plenty of promise on the Challenge Tour, making just his second start as a full member, and came close to winning the South African Open, leading at the halfway stage. It came in second place.
He also finished second in Bahrain in February, but had to wait another month for his first tour win after hitting a course record 63 at the Porsche Singapore Classic and defeating Kiradek Afibalunrat in a playoff. .
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights from the final round of the Porsche Singapore Classic held at Laguna National Golf Resort Club
Back-to-back top-five finishes in the Czech Republic and England at the Betfred British Masters in the summer raised expectations for a card, while a tied seventh place finish in Dubai added to six top-10 finishes registered in the break season. He became one of them.
Niklas Norgaard
Race to Dubai standings: 11th
Highlights of 2024: 1 win (Betfred British Masters), 6 top 10s
After a slow start as a professional, Norgaard has steadily improved in the golf world, earning the Nordic Golf League’s Order of Merit in 2019 and earning a promotion from the Challenge Tour in 2021.
The 32-year-old finished runner-up at the Soudal Open, tied for fourth in quick succession at the Porsche European Open, and celebrated his first DP World Tour win at the Betfred British Masters in the second half. summer.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
An emotional Niklas Norgaard said claiming his first DP World Tour at the Betfred British Masters had been a dream of his since he was 10 years old.
He became the third Danish player to win the British Masters and completed a fantastic season, with strong results at Wentworth and Abu Dhabi also helping him qualify for the PGA Tour.
Mateo Manassero
Race to Dubai standings: 12th
Highlights of 2024: 1 win (Johnson Workwear Open), 8 top 10s
You may remember Manasero as a golf prodigy. The Italian holds the record for being the youngest player to win a DP World Tour event in 2010 at the age of 17, rising to No. 25 in the world. In 2013.
After losing his competitive privileges in 2018 and briefly taking a break from the sport, he once again aimed for the top of the golf world, enjoying a revived 2024 season on the DP World Tour and winning the Johnson Workwear Open for the first time in 11 years. won the tournament. South Africa.
Can Mateo Manassero push himself to be considered for Europe’s next Ryder Cup team?
The 31-year-old Manassero, who also competed at the Amgen Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship, is comfortably back in the world’s top 100 and will be making his first return to the PGA Tour after being a special provisional member. In 2014.
Thorbjorn Olesen
Race to Dubai standings: 13th
Highlights of 2024: 1 win (Ras Al Khaimah Championship), 5 top 10 finishes
After a strong end to the season that featured a win at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, Olesen returns to the PGA Tour for another year and has three top-10 finishes in the last four tournaments, including a tie for third in Abu Dhabi. I accomplished it.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights of the final round of the Ras Al Khaimah Championship held at Al Hamra Golf Club
Although he finished 14th or worse in 16 appearances on the PGA Tour last season, he has already won eight DP World Tour titles and has had a stellar career in Europe with the 2018 Ryder Cup. You’ll get another chance to break it.
antoine rosner
Race to Dubai standings: 15th
Highlights of 2024: No wins, 7 top 10 finishes
Rosner qualified for the DP World Tour in 2020, winning the Golf in Dubai Championship in his rookie season, and went on to compete in the 2021 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters and the 2023 AfraAsia Bank Mauritius Championship. He also won the Open.
Although he didn’t win this year, he put up a great fight this season and finished in a tie for third place on the final day, sharing the lead with McIlroy and Hougaert.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Antoine Rozner makes a great approach on No. 7 for eagle at Genesis Scottish Open
This year saw back-to-back top-six finishes at the Genesis Championship and Abu Dhabi, followed by a strong finish in Dubai, with seven of those top-10s, and Rozner is following in Pabon’s footsteps and leading France on the PGA Tour. want to enjoy the success of
Rikuya Hoshino
Race to Dubai standings: 17th
Highlights of 2024: 1 win (Commercial Bank Qatar Masters), 7 top 10s
Hoshino has had an impressive career on the Japan Golf Tour, winning six times between 2018 and 2022, but this year will be his first full time on the DP World Tour, and he won in his first two starts. We got off to a great start by finishing runner-up and then winning. Commercial Bank Qatar Masters immediately after.
Hoshino has been a frequent contender all year, but he would have been sweating on Sunday after dropping five strokes with 11 holes left in the season finale in Dubai, putting him in danger.
Tom McKibbin
Race to Dubai standings: 18th
Highlights of 2024: No wins, 9 top 10 finishes
McKibbin, who like McIlroy hails from the Hollywood Club near Belfast, burst onto the scene last year with a win as a rookie on the DP World Tour, and has built on that and more with a solid sophomore season.
Tom McKibbin secures dual membership and will be able to play on the PGA Tour next season
Only Lawrence has more top 10s this year than McKibbin. McKibbin made his major debut this summer at the U.S. Open before finishing runner-up at the Italian Open and also played at the British Open.
After finishing inside the top 10 at Wentworth and Abu Dhabi, he snatched the final card on the PGA Tour on offer at the DP World Tour Championship, finishing tied for 11th with a closing birdie and ahead of Jordan Smith in the race. Finished. Go to Dubai standings.
Watch the PGA Tour and DP World Tour live on Sky Sports Golf. Stream DP World Tour and more now.
