There are only two games left in the 2025 DP World Tour season, and they are both play-offs.
The first is the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship held at Yas Links, where the top 70 players in Dubai are all present.
Following the tournament, the top 50 players will go on to compete in the DP World Tour Championship at the Earth Course at Jumeirah Estates.
Going into the fortnight, Rory McIlroy leads the way, with Marco Penge close behind and Tyrrell Hatton in third. In reality, one of the three will win the Race to Dubai, with three-time champion Penge capable of surprising Masters champion Rory McIlroy this year.
Shane Lowry and Ludvig Aberg didn’t finish in the top 70, but as members of the European Ryder Cup team, they received wild cards to both events (although their points did not count towards the Battle of Dubai).
If this is who is in the playoffs and who isn’t? !
Let’s take a look.
Class Act – Adam Scott
Back in June, Adam Scott led the way to victory at the U.S. Open and briefly promised a second major title.
But he ended up shooting a final-round 79 and dropped out of the top 10, which was typical of his year — he didn’t finish in the top 10 on any tour, and his tie for 12th at Oakmont was his best finish on the DP World Tour. The classy Australian won’t be playing in the playoffs.
PGA Tour Champions – Min Woo Lee and Ryan Fox
Australia’s Min Woo Lee won the PGA Tour Houston Open, while New Zealander Ryan Fox won the Myrtle Beach Classic and Canadian Open at the same track. But they won’t be playing in the DP World Tour finals.
Lee finished in the top 15 at both the BMW PGA Championship and the French Open, with Fox finishing tied for 14th in the latter. But it was too late for both of them.
PGA Tour-based European tournament – Thomas Detry and Thorbjorn Olesen
Belgium’s Detry shot a 62 at Yas Links but won’t repeat that mistake this year. He saved his card — just — but he won’t play in the playoffs.
Remembering the fact that he’s now a PGA Tour winner (January’s Phoenix Open) will heal some of the wounds.
Dane Olsen did not compete as he was in Utah trying to salvage his PGA Tour card, but that mission is not yet complete.
Past Champions – Paul Welling and Victor Perez
Englishman Welwyn had a remarkable November in 2024. He first shocked the world by winning the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and then finished in the top 60 at the DP World Tour Championship.
He earned nearly €2.5 million in those two weeks and earned himself a PGA Tour card. But 2025 is a disaster. He made just one cut in 16 starts, finishing tied for 47th at the Canadian Open, and injuries have kept him sidelined since July.
The Frenchman Perez won the championship at Yas Links in 2023 and has been playing on both sides of the Atlantic for the past two years, but his form this year is not as good as in the past, so like Olson, he is in the United States hoping to regain his qualifications for the PGA Tour.
The Businessman of Boom and Bust – Matteo Manassero
It’s been a strange few years for Italians. He was once a superstar, good enough to win the 2013 BMW PGA Championship, but then fell down the world rankings and ended up playing on the third-level Alpine Tour.
But he never gave up, winning the 2023 Challenge Tour, playing in his fifth DP World Tour in 2024, and earning a PGA Tour card.
But he only finished in the top ten once all year. His PGA Tour card is expiring and he won’t make the DP World Tour playoffs.
Missing Britons – Danny Willett and Biff Johnston
Willett was the 2016 Masters Champion and also won the 2018 DP World Tour Championship. But since August 2022, he has not finished in the top 10 on the DP World Tour. Andrew “Beef” Johnston has been hampered by injuries since late 2024.
He nearly won the European Masters that August, but from September to this month he didn’t compete once. After his comeback, he birdied the last hole of the second round of the Genesis Championship to advance.
It’s a promising future for the popular beef.
Unlucky man – Mikael Lindbergh
The Swede finished the season in 71st place, just 0.94 points away from qualifying for the lucrative finals.
He tied for seventh in October’s Genesis Championship, the final event of the regular season, and finished with a birdie-less 2-over 73.
All it takes is a par-breaker to book a flight to Abu Dhabi.
Continue reading: Continue reading: Is Jim Furyk’s nine-year PGA Tour record in jeopardy? There is evidence that this may be
