The DP World Tour kicked off this week with one of its biggest titles of the year, the Dubai Desert Classic. A signature event of the European season, the great and good of European golf have gathered for the event in the hopes of starting their season with a bang.
With the DP World Tour set to visit all four corners of the globe, there will be several interesting storylines set to develop. Here are some key things to keep an eye on.
Can Rory McIlroy win a fourth successive Race to Dubai title?
Rory McIlroy is already assured his place at the table of European golfing greats, but despite winning three consecutive European Order of Merits, the Northern Irishman is wanting to show no signs of slowing down.
Wanting to help lead Europe to Ryder Cup victory later on in the year, McIlroy will also have high hopes of ending his major drought which has now stretched to 11 years.
Despite having plenty of lofty targets and goals as well as the TGL kicking off this year, McIlroy’s commitment to European golf remains as high as it’s ever been and he wants to become the first man in history to win four consecutive Race to Dubai titles.
Too often, McIlroy's lack of majors overshadow what has been an extraordinary career. He is one of the best players that the world has ever seen and his ball striking can often be in a league of its own. He is without doubt the bookmaker’s favourite to end the year with yet another Race to Dubai title and he will be doing everything in his power to win it.
Others looking to end McIlroy’s reign at the top of the European tree
The Race to Dubai is a huge achievement for anyone and there are several players who will hope to beat out McIlroy and to claim this year's Order of Merit title.
Amazingly Tommy Fleetwood is yet to land a title on the PGA Tour but he has enjoyed success in Europe. A former winner of the Race to Dubai, Fleetwood is expected to play a major part in Luke Donald’s 2025 Ryder Cup squad and he will hope to head into the sport's biggest event with plenty of momentum behind him.
There are certainly other players looking to get their hands on the Race to Dubai crown for the first time. Shane Lowry is a former major winner but is yet to really contend for a Race to Dubai title. He played some of his most consistent golf last season and will hope to continue that this season.
It remains to be seen how much Ludvig Aberg will play in Europe but he certainly has the game to win and compete for Europe’s biggest prizes. One of the sports brightest talents, he looks capable of landing several Race to Dubai titles and he could well look to land his first one this season.
European stalwarts need to fire again after poor 2024
If you looked back to the last Ryder Cup two men who you would have really thought would be locks to make Luke Donald’s 2025 squad would have been Matt Fitzpatrick and Viktor Hovland but both will be wanting to start 2025 quickly after a poor 2024. Both players failed to win a title last year and certainly have plenty of questions to answer.
Fitzpatrick for so long has been one of the game’s most consistent players and has been able to win titles all over the world. However as one of the more diminutive players in the game, the Englishman has been on a quest to find more power and that search for extra length has seen his usual accuracy desert him.
Having missed the Tour Championship on the PGA Tour last season, Fitzpatrick will hope to return to the top level of the game this season.
After playing a crucial role in Europe’s victory back in 2023 and having won the FedEx and climbing as high as world number three, many in the game believed that 2024 would be Hovland’s for the taking but those premonitions would turn out to be short lived.
Despite rising to the very top of the game, the Norwegian went out on a surprising mission to try and alter his swing and it’s fair to say that as of yet the results have yet to pay dividends.
Looking to find extra control and stability, Hovland spent much of 2024 down and out and despite a strong showing at the season ending Tour Championship there were few signs of positivity.
Boasting a game that is more than capable of winning numerous majors, Hovland will hope to be a force in 2025. He needs to prove his form and all those with a European persuasion will hope he can rediscover the magic quickly.
LIV players will hope to stay relevant with DP World Tour wins
Whilst those playing on the LIV Tour can make millions week to week, the lack of world ranking points still remains a huge issue. With so many talented players on the LIV Tour facing uncertain futures when it comes to qualifying for the game’s four majors, one way of trying to keep their rankings up is through the DP World Tour and you can be assured that plenty will be turning to the DP World on a regular basis.
Patrick Reed and Joaquin Niemann are two who regularly compete in Europe’s biggest events, but one man to watch with real interest is Sergio Garcia.
With the rules previously hard for those competing on the LIV Tour to make the Ryder Cup, those have been relaxed for 2025 and with the pathway to Bethpage Black easier, it is rumoured that Garcia will be willing to return to the Tour where he made his name.
Despite being towards the end of his prime years, Garcia played some great golf on the LIV circuit last season and would more than do a job if Luke Donald were to call upon his services.
He will need to play in a minimum number of events to even be considered for selection and although he missed playing in Dubai, it will be interesting to see when he decides to tee it up.
Jack Hartman
A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can’t wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.
