Harper Lin
The Race to Dubai is a series of golf tournaments on the European Tour that crown the tour's number one golfer. The series includes tournaments such as the Turkish Airlines Open, WGC-HSBC Champions, and BMW Masters, culminating in the DP World Tour Championship. The winner of the Race to Dubai is determined by accumulating points from each event, with the golfer who accumulates the most points at the end of the season being crowned the winner. The season-ending event, the DP World Tour Championship, is played on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai and includes the leading 50 players in the DP World Tour Rankings.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| What | A golf tournament on the European Tour |
| When | November 12-15 |
| Where | Jumeirah Golf Estates, Earth Course, Dubai, UAE |
| Participants | Leading 50 players in the DP World Tour Rankings at the start of the tournament |
| Winner's share | $1,000,000 out of a $10 million prize purse |
| Past winners | Matt Fitzpatrick, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Henrik Stenson, Nicolai Hojgaard |
| Record for most wins | Rahm and McIlroy (3 wins each) |
| Number of tournaments | Minimum of 42 Race to Dubai tournaments across 25 different countries |
| Prize fund | $157.5 million (£116m), excluding majors |
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What You'll Learn
The DP World Tour Championship
The tournament was first held in 2009 when the Order of Merit was replaced by the Race to Dubai. It features the leading 50 players in the DP World Tour Rankings at the start of the tournament, with past winners including Matt Fitzpatrick, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Henrik Stenson. Rahm and McIlroy share the record for most wins at the end of the 2024 season, with three wins each.
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The Race to Dubai winner's prize money
The Race to Dubai is a golf tournament on the European Tour. It is contested by the leading 50 players in the DP World Tour Rankings at the start of the tournament. The DP World Tour Championship is the climax of the Race to Dubai. The winner of the Race to Dubai also wins the DP World Tour Championship.
The winner of the Race to Dubai receives a substantial sum of prize money. In 2024, the winner, Rory McIlroy, received €5,546,161 ($6,045,197) for winning the Race to Dubai. This was in addition to the €2,764,461 ($2,867,779) he received for winning the DP World Tour Championship, bringing his total earnings for the two victories to €8,310,622 ($9,012,976).
The prize money for the Race to Dubai has changed over the years. Initially, the bonus pool was set at $10,000,000, with the Race to Dubai winner receiving $1,500,000. In 2012, the bonus pool was reduced to $3,750,000, and the winner's share decreased to $1,000,000. In 2024, the bonus pool was $6,000,000, with the winner taking home $2,000,000.
The distribution of the bonus pool among the top finishers in the Race to Dubai standings has also evolved. In 2012, the bonus pool was distributed among the top 10 golfers. In 2024, the top 15 players received a share of the bonus pool, with the winner's prize money constituting a significant portion of the total payout.
The Race to Dubai winner also receives the honour of being named the European Number One golfer and lifting the prestigious Harry Vardon Trophy.
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The tournament's history
The DP World Tour Championship is a golf tournament on the European Tour that marks the climax of the Race to Dubai. The tournament was first held in 2009, replacing the Order of Merit with the Race to Dubai. The competition is held at the Greg Norman-designed Earth course at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The tournament is sponsored by DP World, a company based in Dubai, and features a $10 million prize purse.
The Race to Dubai is used to determine the top golfer on the tour by awarding points to players based on their performance in each event. The golfer with the most points at the end of the season is crowned the winner. The season-ending event is the DP World Tour Championship, which is exclusively for the top 50 players in the standings. In 2023, Nicolai Hojgaard won the DP World Tour Championship, beating Matt Wallace, Tommy Fleetwood, and Jon Rahm by two shots.
Over the years, the format and structure of the Race to Dubai have evolved. Initially, the prize money was set at $10 million, but it was later reduced to $7.5 million, distributed among the top 15 players, with the Race to Dubai winner receiving $1.5 million. In 2012, the bonus pool was further cut in half to $3.75 million, with the winner's share reduced to $1 million and awarded to the top 10 golfers.
In 2013, the European Tour introduced the Final Series, a series of four tournaments concluding with the DP World Tour Championship. However, in 2016, the series was reduced to three tournaments, excluding the WGC-HSBC Champions and BMW Masters and including the Nedbank Golf Challenge. The Rolex Series was launched in 2017, featuring tournaments with higher prize funds.
Looking ahead, the 2026 DP World Tour schedule includes a new event, the Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship, kicking off the European Swing in Barcelona. Additionally, the Amgen Irish Open will be played at Trump International Golf Links Ireland, marking the inclusion of at least 42 events across 25 different countries during the Race to Dubai season.
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The season's finale
The DP World Tour Championship is a golf tournament on the European Tour and is the climax of the Race to Dubai. It is the season-ending event and is contested by the leading 50 players in the DP World Tour Rankings at the start of the tournament. The winner of the Race to Dubai is the golfer with the most points at the end of the season, accumulated from each event they participate in. The tournament is played on the Greg Norman-designed Earth Course at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The DP World Tour Championship offers a substantial prize purse, originally set at $10 million, to be distributed among the top 15 players, with the Race to Dubai winner receiving $1.5 million. In 2012, the bonus pool was reduced to $3.75 million, with the winner's share lowered to $1 million. The event delivers a significant economic impact to Dubai, with the 2013 edition contributing a gross economic benefit of $44 million to the city, according to independent research.
The Race to Dubai, formerly known as the Order of Merit until 2009, is an annual competition that forms part of the DP World Tour. The 2026 season will feature at least 42 tournaments across 25 different countries, excluding majors, with a record prize fund of $157.5 million. The Amgen Irish Open, to be played at Trump International Golf Links in Ireland, is a notable addition to the 2026 schedule, marking the first time a tournament will be held at a Donald Trump-owned course.
The DP World Tour Championship is the pinnacle of the Race to Dubai, where the top 50 players in the standings compete in the season's finale. In 2023, Nicolai Hojgaard claimed the title, showcasing his skills and securing a memorable victory. The tournament has witnessed past winners such as Matt Fitzpatrick, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Henrik Stenson, with Rahm and McIlroy sharing the record for the most wins as of the end of the 2024 season.
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The tournament's schedule
The Race to Dubai is a season-long competition that is part of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe. The tournament schedule is split into three distinct phases: the "Global Swings", the "Back 9", and the "DP World Tour Play-Offs".
The "Global Swings" is the first phase of the Race to Dubai and consists of five swings: the "Opening Swing", the "International Swing", the "Asian Swing", the "European Swing", and the "Closing Swing". Each swing has its own mini-Order of Merit, with the champion of each winning US$200,000. The swings also serve as a qualification route for the Rolex Series and Back 9 events. The "Global Swings" feature a minimum of 42 tournaments in 25 different countries. Some of the tournaments included in the "Global Swings" are the Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship, the Hero Indian Open, the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, the Italian Open, and the ISCO Championship.
The "Back 9" is the second phase of the Race to Dubai and includes historic national Opens and international events. Some of the tournaments in the "Back 9" are the Genesis Motor Korea Championship, the FedEx Open de France, and the Amgen Irish Open.
The "DP World Tour Play-Offs" is the third and final phase of the Race to Dubai, consisting of four tournaments: the Turkish Airlines Open, the WGC-HSBC Champions, the BMW Masters, and the DP World Tour Championship. The DP World Tour Championship is the climax of the Race to Dubai and is contested by the leading 50 players in the DP World Tour Rankings at the start of the tournament.
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Frequently asked questions
The Race to Dubai is a series of golf tournaments on the European Tour. It culminates in the DP World Tour Championship, where the tour's number one golfer is crowned.
Golfers accumulate points from each event they participate in, and the winner is the player with the most points at the end of the season.
The DP World Tour Championship is the climax of the Race to Dubai. It is contested by the leading 50 players in the DP World Tour Rankings at the start of the tournament.
The DP World Tour Championship is played on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
