DP World Tour Championship: 12 million dollars and the battle for the Race to Dubai crown

The DP World Tour reaches its spectacular climax with the DP World Tour Championship (November 13-16, 2025). The season finale in Dubai is about more than just winning the tournament: a record prize purse of twelve million US dollars, the intense battle for the top spot in the annual rankings and the awarding of coveted playing rights for the American PGA Tour are all on the line.

The stage of the DP World Tour: The Earth Course in Dubai

As the final Rolex Series event of the DP World Tour season, the tournament traditionally takes place on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in the United Arab Emirates. The field is made up of the top fifty players in the Race to Dubai Rankings, supplemented by a few exceptions. Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, who has already won this event three times, will be the defending champion and main protagonist.

High stakes: Finances and the door to the PGA Tour

The financial incentives in Dubai are extraordinary. The total prize money of the tournament amounts to twelve million US dollars, of which the tournament winner alone receives three million US dollars. There is also an additional financial incentive throughout the season: the top ten players in the final ranking share a bonus pool of a further six million US dollars. The overall winner of the DP World Tour annual ranking (Race to Dubai) will receive a further bonus of two million US dollars.

In addition, the final week offers tangible career opportunities: as part of the strategic alliance between the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour, the top ten players in the Race to Dubai who are not yet eligible to play on the US Tour will receive eligibility to play in 2026.

Here you can find the Tee Times and the Leaderboard of the DP World Tour Championship.

The battle for the Harry Vardon Trophy

At the end of the long season, the top group of the DP World Tour will be competing for the Harry Vardon Trophy for overall victory in the "Race to Dubai" classification. As the winner of the final tournament is rewarded with 2,000 points, a dramatic shift in the rankings is possible right up to the end. Only three players currently have a mathematical chance of overall victory: Rory McIlroy, Marco Penge and Tyrrell Hatton.

The favorite: Rory McIlroy on the brink of a historic milestone

Rory McIlroy leads the standings with a comfortable 767-point lead over Marco Penge and is the clear favorite to win his seventh title. He underlined his recent form the previous week in Abu Dhabi, where he played a 62 on Sunday and finished third.

The scenarios for McIlroy:The Northern Irishman has it in his own hands: he can no longer be caught if he wins the tournament or finishes second. Should he record his seventh success in the annual rankings, it would be a historic triumph that would further cement his exceptional position on the DP World Tour. He would surpass one of the greatest players in Europe:

"To go from six to Seven titles to get one past Seve [Ballesteros] would be incredible. To get closer to Monty's [Colin Montgomerie, record holder with eight titles] record would be incredible."

The challengers: Penge and Hatton need top performances

England's Marco Penge (second place) and the equally top-class Ryder Cup player Tyrrell Hatton (third place) need absolute top results and must hope for a slip-up from the Northern Irishman:

• Marco Penge needs to finish at least tied second to stand a chance. If Penge wins, McIlroy would have to do worse than second place.
• Tyrrell Hatton must win the tournament and at the same time hope that McIlroy finishes outside the top eight and Penge does not finish in a tie for second place or better.

"Local hero" Tommy Fleetwood wants his first title

Another DP World Tour star who will be in the spotlight in Dubai is Tommy Fleetwood. The world-class player, who lives in Dubai, finished last week in Abu Dhabi in an excellent second place in the play-off. He has never won the DP World Tour Championship (twice runner-up) and is keen to crown his impressive season:

"This is the last event I will play this year. It's been a great year. It would definitely be a fantastic way to finish," said Fleetwood.