DP World Tour Championship 2025 Picks, Best Bets and Golf Odds:
Aaron Rai defeated Tommy Fleetwood on the first playoff hole to win the Abu Dhabi Championship last weekend. Rory McIlroy closed with a final-round 62 to finish T-3 alongside our closest tip, Nicolai Højgaard.
This week, the Race to Dubai concludes with the DP World Tour Championship.
McIlroy (4-1), a three-time winner here, including last year, currently leads the Race to Dubai standings by slightly less than 800 points over Marco Penge (25-1) and by 1,700 points over Tyrrell Hatton (12-1).
Last week’s two playoff combatants — Fleetwood (6-1) and Rai (20-1) — are also here this week for the DP World Tour season finale.
Ludvig Åberg (14-1), Robert MacIntyre (14-1) and Matt Fitzpatrick (16-1) are also in the field this week, along with the Højgaard brothers (both 22-1).
The Event
The DP World Tour Championship was established in 2009, as the Race to Dubai replaced the former European Tour Order of Merit. Global port operator DP World, based in Dubai and formed in 2005 with the merger of Dubai Ports Authority and Dubai Ports International, serves as the title sponsor of this event. Only 50 players are in this week’s field. The field will play for a $10 million purse with a $3 million share going to the winner. The Vardon Trophy, named after six-time Champion Golfer of the Year Harry Vardon, is awarded to the Race to Dubai points winner.
The Field
The Top 50 on the Race to Dubai rankings are in this week’s field.
Aside from the Race to Dubai prize money, some players are also playing for PGA Tour cards. The top 10 in the Race to Dubai rankings at the conclusion of this week’s event, who are otherwise not exempt, earn PGA Tour cards for the 2026 season.
Those players in the current 10 spots are designated with PGA Tour logos on this rankings table.
Going into this week, these are the current 10 from the DP World Tour who will be on the PGA Tour next year:
The Course
The Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates has hosted this event every year since the tournament’s creation.
The track was designed by Greg Norman and opened in 2009. The track is long at 7,706 yards with two of the par-5s measuring over 625 yards, the tough par-4 ninth of 500 yards, plus the 195-yard par-3 17th, which plays to an island green. Greens are large, undulating Bermudagrass, which will run at around 12.5 on the stimpmeter. Water is in play on the final three holes, and there are 99 bunkers predominantly featured in the fairways.
Although the course is long, it is fairly easy to score on. Nevertheless, those ballstrikers that are especially good with long irons should be successful here, and being long off the tee never hurts either.
The DP World Tour’s YouTube provides a hole-by-hole flyover of the Earth Course.
DP World Tour Championship Recent History
2024: Rory McIlroy (-15/273); 5-1
2023: Nicolai Højgaard (-21/267); 22-1
2022: Jon Rahm (-20/268); 5-1
2021: Collin Morikawa (-17/271); 15-2
2020: Matt Fitzpatrick (-15/273); 7-1
2019: Jon Rahm (-19/269); 7-1
2018: Danny Willett (-18/270); 80-1
2017: Jon Rahm (-19/269); 12-1
2016: Matt Fitzpatrick (-17/271); 66-1
2015: Rory McIlroy (-21/267); 5-1
2014: Henrik Stenson (-16/272); 17-2
2013: Henrik Stenson (-25/263); 11-1**
2012: Rory McIlroy (-23/265); 6-1
2011: Alvaro Quiros (-19/269); 40-1
2010: Robert Karlsson (-14/274); 50-1*
Playoff win over Ian Poulter – *
All-Time Tournament Scoring Record – **
Trends & Angles
- Each winner here had registered at least one top-7 finish in his previous six starts.
- There have been four repeat winners here in 16 tournaments (Stenson, McIlroy, Rahm, Fitzpatrick).
Selections
Nicolai Højgaard (20-1, Caesars Sportsbook)
We had Nicolai here two years ago when he shot a 64 on Sunday to overtake McIlroy and claim, what is to date, the biggest victory of his career.
He has been particularly sharp with his irons in 2025, ranking 11th in Strokes Gained: Approach and 15th for Greens In Regulation on the PGA Tour.
On the DP World Tour, Nicolai leads for Driving Distance and is 10th for Strokes Gained: Off The Tee.
Nicolai was third in Abu Dhabi last week, missing the playoff by one stroke.
Rasmus Højgaard (22-1, DraftKings)
Rasmus was runner-up here last year to McIlroy.
He seemed to have found some form in the late summer and early fall with runners-up in his native Denmark and Switzerland, plus a T-3 on the PGA Tour at the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Off the tee has been the strength of his game, where he ranks fifth for Strokes Gained: Off The Tee and sixth for Driving Distance.
In addition, Rasmus ranks 10th for Strokes Gained: Putting and was second in the field last week in Abu Dhabi with the putter.
Marco Penge (22-1, DraftKings)
Penge is second in the Race to Dubai, and only he or Tyrrell Hatton can overtake McIlroy for the Harry Vardon Trophy.
However, Penge is also in the No. 1 spot for DP World Tour players to gain PGA Tour cards for next season. The card is already assured, but if Penge can stay in the No. 1 spot, he will gain entry into the first two “Signature” events — AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational — plus The Players Championship.
The Englishman carded a 63 in the final round to finish ninth last week in Abu Dhabi and has already won three times on the DP World Tour this season.
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (40-1, BetMGM)
Neergaard-Petersen burst onto the world golf scene with three victories on the DP World Tour last season.
This has been a winless campaign, although he has continued to play well with four top-5 finishes.
The Dane is currently on the outside looking in to earn a PGA Tour card for next season, but a top-5 finish this week will get that job done.
