Dubai: Sixty of the world’s biggest names in golf are headed to Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Earth Course with an eye on winning the four-day DP World Tour Championship, the final tournament of this year’s European Tour, which gets under way from November 20. Only four can secure the Race to Dubai title and top the money earner’s list this season.
Henrik Stenson
Country: Sweden
Age: 40
Turned Pro in: 1998
Race to Dubai points: 4,000,503
Sitting atop the Race to Dubai rankings with a cushion of over 300,000 points at the moment, the veteran Swede, currently ranked four in the world number, no doubt has the best chance of wrapping up the year ending rankings on pole position. Yet he may be a little nervy next week in Dubai having failed to win anything on the Tour since his triumph at The Open Championship in July and finishing a close tied second at the WGC HSBC Championship in October.
Danny Willett
Country: England
Age: 29
Turned Pro in: 2008
Race to Dubai points: 3,700,888
Less than two months before Willet created history earlier this April by winning the 2016 Masters - becoming only the second Englishman and the first European in 17 years to win at the iconic Augusta National – he had already showed his intent for bigger things this year with a triumph at the Dubai Desert Classic. Nine months on and he is back in the emirate again to sign off in just the same style he had started the season in.
Alexander Norén
Country: Sweden
Age: 34
Turned Pro in: 2005
Race to Dubai points: 3,367,126
Yet another Swede in the fray, Norén raised the bar for himself and others in the race to Dubai rankings this week with a stunning six stroke win at the 2016 Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City, South Africa. He may have jumped to third in the Race to Dubai standings thanks to that victory – his fourth in 2016 – but when it comes to current form, he may just be the best bet to win the year end money list.
Rory McIllroy
Country: N. Ireland
Age: 27
Turned Pro in: 2007
Race to Dubai points: 2,824,149
World No.2, Rory McIlroy is aiming to win both his third DP World Tour Championship and third Race to Dubai title this year but he’ll need Stenson and others to slip up in a big way if he’s to make up the 1,176,414 points separating him from the top spot. However with a majority of Dubai crowd sure to root for the northern Irishman, you never say never when it comes to McIllroy.
