Event
DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, from November 21-24 at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.
What is it
Now in its 11th year, the tournament represents the final stop on the European Tour calendar. Played on the Greg Norman-designed Earth course, it comprises the top 50 players in the season-long standings: the Race to Dubai. There is no cut.
As the last of the eight Rolex Series events on the tour, the tournament carries a purse of $8 million (Dh29.4m), with the winner banking $3m. The Race to Dubai, meanwhile, carries a bonus pool of $5m, shared between the top 5-ranked players. The winner of that pockets $2m.
What is at stake
The two main prizes on offer are the DP World Tour Championship title and the Race to Dubai crown. With the season’s penultimate event, the Nedbank Golf Challenge, reaching a climax on Sunday, a number of players are in contention mathematically to be named European No 1 come next week.
Austrian Bernd Wiesberger leads the standings by 723 points, with England's Tommy Fleetwood second and Spain's Jon Rahm third. Open champion Shane Lowry is fourth, while Matthew Fitzpatrick is fifth.
Past champions
The DP World Tour Championship has had eight past winners, with McIlroy and Henrik Stenson each posting two victories. McIlroy’s wins, in 2012 and 2015, came either side of Stenson’s successive triumphs. Lee Westwood won the inaugural event in 2009, followed by Robert Karlsson (via a play-off) and Alvaro Quiros.
Fitzpatrick took the title in 2016, quickly followed by Rahm, while Danny Willett is the defending champion. The Englishman, the 2016 Masters winner, sealed a two-shot victory 12 months ago, coming 953 days after his last pro win, at Augusta.
The Race to Dubai – the rebranded Order of Merit – roll of honour features Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Luke Donald, Fleetwood, Francesco Molinari, Stenson (2) and McIlroy (3).
Ticket info
Entry to the event is free, although spectators have to register for general admission at www.ticketmaster.ae.
