Robert TheodorsonThe Top 70 players from the DP World Tour’s season-long Race to Dubai will face off Thursday in the first of two playoff matches to conclude the league’s 2026 season.
With the season coming to a close, there are a number of huge storylines set to unfold over the next two weeks that will have career-altering consequences.
The stars head to Abu Dhabi’s Yas Links Golf Club for a chance at nine million dollars, nine thousand Race to Dubai points, and start building preseason positions for both the Ryder Cup and the OWGR.
While PGA Championship Aaron Rai and two-time Abu Dhabi Championship winner Tommy Fleetwood may be the early favorites, all eyes are focused on the three-man race to the finale in Eugenio Chacarra, Patrick Reed, and Rory McIlroy.
Who Enters The DP World Tour Championship in First Place?
The ‘Big Three’ going into The Abu Dhabi Championship are undoubtedly: Rory McIlroy, who has won the Race to Dubai four times in a row; Eugenio Chacarra who is the hottest player in the league at the moment; and Patrick Reed who won twice earlier in the season but has cooled off significantly since.
McIlroy has been in this position time and time again, though his pathway to the top of the leaderboard couldn’t have been more different than Reed or Chacarra. Of course, you’ll remember that McIlroy’s points were mostly gained through his win at the 2026 Masters and a number of Top 10 finishes at co-sponsored events.
Patrick Reed dominated the DP World Tour early and often with wins at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and Qatar Masters; a T2 finish Bahrain Championship sandwiched between those wins helped push him to first in the standings early.
Chacarra proved to be a late bloomer on tour this season, with three recent wins at the DP World India Championship, KLM Open, and Italian Open.
Between those wins Chacarra was almost always near the top of the leaderboard, with several Top 5 finishes to his credit, and achievements that helped him leapfrog McIlroy and Reed late into the season.
Chacarra (4143), Reed (3474), and McIlroy (3144) lead the Race to Dubai points race and are the only three that sit above 3000 points.
Few golfers have a chance of besting the trio, but if it can be done, Casey Jarvis who currently sits in 4th place with 2856 points is the man to do it. After coming in T4 at the Genesis Championship in Korea, Jarvis is in form and ready to make one final push to the championship.
Reigning Major Champions Aaron Rai and Ryan Fox Could Steal the Show
Winning a major championship awards the individual 1665 R2D points and almost assuredly secures them a Top 10 spot at the end of season rankings even if they have participated scarcely throughout the season.
This is the case with PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai and Open winner Ryan Fox.
Both surprise victors for their respective major championships, Rai and Fox will serve as headliners for the first half the playoffs with the later Fox having just recorded a fantastic 10-under par T4 finish at the Genesis Championship.
Rai, who remains the reigning champion of the Abu Dhabi championship, will look to defend his title and remind the world that he absolutely belongs in the same class as those names who are mentioned for golfer of the year.
Jon Rahm’s DP World Tour Career Comeback Tour Starts Here
Jon Rahm’s announcement that he would forego LIV 2.0 and rejoin the DP World Tour was the most significant announcement amongst his former LIV colleagues.
The move created a domino reaction where once Rahm knew he was absolutely going to lose out on the small fortune owed to him, a cascade of other LIV golfers quickly followed suit and announced their intention to leave.
A European Ryder Cup fixture for many seasons, Rahm is likely to be welcomed back with open arms now that the unpleasantness of fines and suspensions are behind him.
Rahm is without a doubt the biggest name in golf to commit to the 2027 DP World Tour schedule. His presence at key tournaments will bolster attention, television coverage, and attendance. To put it lightly, this is the biggest name the DP World Tour has gotten in recent memory.
Like Patrick Reed, it’s likely a foregone conclusion that Rahm will absolutely dominate the league next year and earn his way back onto the PGA Tour, but for the European circuit this injection of star power is badly needed.
Rahm will be joined by a number of his old LIV colleagues such as Tyrrell Hatton who give the DP World Tour a lot to look forward to next season. Though it’s too late to earn his way into the Top 10, all-important Ryder Cup points are on the line here as is the ability to set the tone going into next season.
Who Can Break into The Top 10 and Secure a PGA Tour Card?
Matt Fitzpatrick (1882 R2D Points) currently sits in 10th place despite having only played in eight qualifying events this season. Fitzpatrick, a PGA Tour mainstay, has significantly less to play for than those on the outside looking in like 39-year-old Andy Sullivan who has never played on the American circuit before. Joining Sullivan in a similar situation is recent winner Joe Dean who is seven years the former’s junior.
Then there’s the curious case of some elite talents like Adrian Meronk, who has already mastered the DP World Tour in a previous life, went to LIV Golf, and is attempting a (successful) comeback. Meronk, who won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, currently sits in 22nd place, but is in form and could possibly play spoiler for a Top 10 spot should his run continue.
Can Eugenio Chacarra Unseat Four-Time in a Row Champ Rory McIlroy?
This is where play in the UAE matters so much. Both men are guaranteed to finish in The Top 10, but there can only be one true champion.
Chacarra has been on a hot streak as of late, but McIlroy has shown a penchant for playing these desert courses, and has done extremely well for himself over the years.
The Abu Dhabi championship results will give us a clearer understanding if all three leaders can truly contend for the title in November, if one gets pushed out, or if it’s Chacarra standing alone due to his would-be fourth win of the season.
With no major time commitments until January, McIlroy is likely to be laser-focused on ending the season on a strong note and making play to earn his 5th title in a row.
