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Patrick Reed sets the pace as the Race to Dubai season gathers momentum
Early-season dominance, shifting pathways, and ranking imbalances shape the 2025–26 DP World Tour story so far
- PUBLISHED: Tue 17 Mar 2026, 2:06 PM
- By:
- Nick Tarratt, Guest Golf Writer
Now that the 2025–26 DP World Tour season is in full swing, let’s take a look at the current Race to Dubai Rankings.
There have been 12 events so far, with a total of 42 scheduled across the season.
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The campaign began on 27th November 2025 with the BMW Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane.
We have already completed both the Opening and International Swings, with Jayden Schaper and Patrick Reed winning each, respectively. Both players earned a $200,000 bonus and secured entry into all the Back 9 Swing events on the schedule.
For many of the leading players on the DP World Tour, the key target will be a place in the top 10 of the Race to Dubai Rankings at the end of the season. Those players will earn dual membership of both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, provided they do not already hold a PGA Tour card.
It is not an easy transition, as many have discovered, but it remains a major ambition. With consistent performance and strong results, it has proven achievable for a number of players.
A recent example is 27-year-old Englishman Marco Penge, who topped the top-10 list last season. The year before, he had only just retained his DP World Tour status, and in 2023, he was competing on the HotelPlanner Tour. He now plays on the PGA Tour and last week featured in The Players Championship, an added incentive for finishing number one on the dual-card list.
The current Race to Dubai leader is Patrick Reed, who has committed to playing on the DP World Tour this season before being reinstated on the PGA Tour later in the year, following his defection from the LIV Golf League at the start of 2026. Reed has amassed 2,340.42 points from the six tournaments he has played so far. He is already a double winner, with victories at the HERO Dubai Desert Classic and the Qatar Masters.
Now a member of the DP World Tour, he has also climbed to 23rd in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR, having started the year in 42nd position. With his status as a former Masters champion, combined with his OWGR ranking, Reed will be able to choose where and when he plays for much of the season, including all four Majors, a very privileged position for the 35-year-old.
Last season, the 10th and final player to earn dual-card status accumulated 2,203.32 points, England’s Jordan Smith.
Other two-time winners this season include Jayden Schaper and Casey Jarvis, who sit second and third in the Rankings. Both have made fast starts and, with continued consistency, will be firmly in contention for promotion to the PGA Tour.
In contrast, some of the DP World Tour’s global stars, including Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry, have not made strong starts to the season.
The HERO Dubai Desert Classic remains the marquee early-season event, traditionally supported by Europe’s leading players. With a $9 million purse and 8,000 Race to Dubai points on offer, there is a clear imbalance in the distribution of points. While the strength of the field justifies its elevated status, the next Rolex Series event does not take place until July at the Genesis Scottish Open, the week before The Open.
By comparison, this week’s Hainan Classic offers 3,500 Race to Dubai points.
That disparity helps explain why McIlroy is currently 41st, Lowry 48th and Fleetwood as low as 113th in the standings.
These are still early days in what is a long season, with plenty of golf yet to be played.
Many DP World Tour players do not gain entry into the Majors, which gives players like McIlroy and his peers a significant opportunity to climb the rankings as the season progresses.
In a non-Ryder Cup year, global players, where possible, tend to prioritise the PGA Tour, given its enhanced prize money and OWGR points.
On the positive side, this creates opportunities for other players to make their mark on the DP World Tour and in the Race to Dubai, whether established names or emerging talent.
Golf is, after all, a game built on opportunity, and on making the most of the pathways available.
Players often say they are just one good week away from a win.
We would not want it any other way. It promises to be a compelling watch as the Race to Dubai unfolds through the season, with all the inevitable ups and downs of modern professional golf.
For further information, visit: www.DPWorldTour.com
