The DP World Tour and the Race to Dubai.

From European Tour to DP World Tour

The European Tour's first official event was the Open de Espana at Golf Club de Pals in Girona, which began on 12 April 1972 and was won by Spain's Antonio Garrido, according to the Tour's 50-year history. The same history calls John Jacobs, a former Ryder Cup player, the Tour's founding father after a campaign of nearly 20 years to modernise tournament golf in Europe.

Khaleej Times reported on 9 November 2021 that the Tour would be renamed the DP World Tour from 2022. DP World, a Dubai logistics company, already sponsored the season-ending event, which has been played in Dubai since 2009.

What the Race to Dubai is

The Race to Dubai is the Tour's season-long points ranking. Its winner is the Tour's Number One and receives the Harry Vardon Trophy. The DP World Tour's own overview splits the season into three phases.

1. Global Swings. Five swings (Opening, International, Asian, European and Closing), each with its own ranking.
2. The Back 9. Nine historic events and national opens that carry more points.
3. The Play-Offs. The Abu Dhabi Championship and the DP World Tour Championship, the last two Rolex Series events of the year.

Points on offer

The top 70 in the race qualify for the Play-Offs opener in Abu Dhabi. At the end of the season, the top 10 members in the final ranking who are not otherwise exempt (the Tour's term is "non-exempt") earn PGA Tour cards for the next season. The top 110 keep their DP World Tour membership, a cutoff the Tour describes as provisional.

Race to Dubai champions

The 2023 title is from the DP World Tour's report of 19 November 2023, which says McIlroy won the race with a week to spare. The 2024 titles are from a Reuters report of 17 November 2024: McIlroy won the DP World Tour Championship and his sixth Race to Dubai.

In 2025 McIlroy won his seventh Race to Dubai, second all-time behind Colin Montgomerie's eight. Fitzpatrick won the DP World Tour Championship that year, beating McIlroy on the first playoff hole after both finished at 18 under. It was Fitzpatrick's third win in the event, after 2016 and 2020.

2026: in progress

No champion had been decided on 20 October 2026. The latest dated report in our research, from The National on 6 October 2026, had Patrick Reed leading by roughly 300 points with McIlroy second. We did not find a full current points table.

• McIlroy is chasing an eighth Race to Dubai, which would equal Montgomerie, and a fifth in a row (The National).
• Matt Fitzpatrick won the Open de France on 27 September 2026, which moved him to ninth in the race, according to WAM.

The Play-Off dates come from a search summary and The National.

The Golf News Net says the Tour co-owns the Ryder Cup with the PGA of America. For how to watch DP World Tour events in the United States, see watching golf.