There are just two tournaments left in the 2025 DP World Tour season and they are both play-off events.
First up is the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links with the top 70 in the Race to Dubai rankings in the field.
At the end of that tournament the top 50 in the rankings will continue to the DP World Tour Championship on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Estates.
Going into this fortnight, Rory McIlroy leads the rankings, closely followed by Marco Penge with Tyrrell Hatton in third. Realistically one of the three will win the Race to Dubai and Penge – a three-time winner this year – has it in him to surprise the Masters champion McIlroy.
Shane Lowry and Ludvig Aberg didn’t qualify in the top 70 but as members of Europe’s Ryder Cup team, they get a wildcard entry to both events (although their points won’t count for the Race to Dubai).
If that’s who is playing in the Playoffs, who isn’t?!
Let’s find out.
The class act – Adam Scott
Back in June, Adam Scott led the US Open and briefly promised to land a remarkable second major championship triumph.
But he ultimately carded a final round 79 to topple outside the top 10 and it was typical of his year – he’s not registered one top 10 on any tour and his T12 at Oakmont was his best effort on the DP World Tour. The classy Aussie won’t compete in the Playoffs.
The PGA Tour winners – Min Woo Lee and Ryan Fox
Aussie Min Woo Lee won the PGA Tour Houston Open, and the Kiwi Ryan Fox won both the Myrtle Beach Classic and Canadian Open on the same circuit. But they won’t be playing in the DP World Tour finale.
Lee landed top 15 finishes in the BMW PGA Championship and Open de France, and Fox was T14 in the latter. But it was too little too late from both of them.
The PGA Tour-based Euros – Thomas Detry and Thorbjorn Olesen
The Belgian Detry has thrashed a 62 at Yas Links but there will be no repeat this year. He saved his card – just – but he won’t be playing in the Playoffs.
Remembering the fact he is now a PGA Tour winner (in January’s Phoenix Open) will heal the wound somewhat.
The Dane Olesen is not playing because he was in Utah trying to save his PGA Tour card, a quest that is still unfulfilled.
The past champions – Paul Waring and Victor Perez
Englishman Waring enjoyed a remarkable November in 2024. First of all he stunned the world by winning the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and then he added a top 60 in the DP World Tour Championship.
He won just shy of €2.5million in that fortnight and earned himself a PGA Tour card. But 2025 has been a disaster. In 16 starts he’s made just one cut when T47 in the Canadian Open and injury has kept him out of action since July.
Frenchman Perez won at Yas Links in 2023 and has played the last two years on both sides of the pond, but his form this year has not been as good as in the past so, like Olesen, he is in the States hoping to regain his PGA Tour card.
The boom and bust merchant – Matteo Manassero
It’s been a weird few years for the Italian. Once a superstar teenager, good enough to win the 2013 BMW PGA Championship, he then hurtled down the world rankings and ended up on the third tier Alps Tour.
But he never gave up, claimed wins on the 2023 Challenge Tour, added a fifth DP World Tour in 2024 and won a PGA Tour card.
But he’s landed only one top 10 all year. His PGA Tour card is on the edge and he won’t make the DP World Tour Playoffs.
The missing Englishmen – Danny Willett and Beef Johnston
Willett was the 2016 Masters Champion and also won the 2018 DP World Tour Championship. But he hasn’t had a top 10 on the DP World Tour since August 2022. Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston has had injury problems since the end of 2024.
He very nearly won the European Masters in August of that year but from September to this month he didn’t play once. In his comeback he made a birdie on his final hole of the second round in the Genesis Championship to make the cut.
A hopeful sign for the future for the popular Beef.
The unlucky man – Mikael Lindberg
The Swede finished the season 71st in the rankings, only 0.94 points short of qualifying for the lucrative final events.
He finished tied seventh in the final event of the regular season, October’s Genesis Championship, and closed with a birdie-free 2-over 73.
Just one par breaker would have booked his ticket to Abu Dhabi.
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