It’s not a loophole as such, but two-time major winner Xander Schauffele, 2024 U.S. Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau and World Number One Scottie Scheffler “could” (if they wanted to) head to the United Arab Emirates in just a couple of weeks time to compete in the season-ending Rolex Series DP World Tour Play-Offs.
Sorry? How, you might ask?
Something that might have slipped under the radar, is the newly introduced Non-Members Race to Dubai Points List.
It’s a rankings system that the DP World Tour has created which is open for golfers who unsurprisingly, aren’t members of the DP World Tour, therefore are not able to qualify for the Race to Dubai Rankings.
They have their own mini order of merit essentially! Just without the Harry Vardon Trophy at the end.
It works in the way that if a player has accrued enough points in DP World Tour sanctioned events like in the Majors and any co-sanctioned events, they could essentially rock up to play in the final closing Play-Off events at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi and Jumeirah Golf Estates for the DP World Tour Championship.
Any non-members who have accrued enough points to earn a place in either the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship or the DP World Tour Championship will not affect DP World Tour members who have qualified via the Race to Dubai.
There are plenty of familiar participants on the current list from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf in addition to Schauffele, DeChambeau and Scheffler. The likes of 2021 DP World Tour Champion Collin Morikawa, Louis Oosthuizen, Patrick Cantlay, Russell Henley and Cameron Young all can at this moment in time play in the DP World Tour Championship, with Patrick Cantley and Max Homa qualifying for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Below is the current list after the: acciona Open de Espana presented by Madrid.
Non-Member R2D Points List
You may notice the little yellow dot next to the Crusher’s Dean Burmester’s name. That means he is ineligible for qualification to the DP World Tour Play-Offs and the season-ending bonus pool as he didn’t meet his minimum events before resigning and he is suspended for 12 months. Despite having played six tournaments this season, with victory in two of them. Rules are rules.
Louis Oosthuizen: Stuart Franklin
His fellow countryman Louis Oosthuizen, also a two-time winner this season on the DP World Tour in back-to-back events at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open is eligible to play though having met the requirements.
For example of it being used in the future, that is the reason why Max Homa and Corey Conners are heading to the Nedbank Golf Challenge at the start of December for ‘Africa’s Major’ at Sun City, forming part of the 2025 Race to Dubai Rankings.
Anyway, we can all hope that this contingent rocks up to the desert. Fingers crossed!
