There are less than 50 days left for the start of the Back Nine, the most important stretch of the DP World Tour season, with larger prize balls and a greater distribution of points for the Race to Dubai. In a way, it could be said that the countdown to get into these ‘elevated to the European’ tournaments has already begun.
It is a battle that mainly involves those players with weaker categories, mainly those coming from the Challenge Tour, the School, the rest of the international circuits associated with the DP World Tour or those who had a bad classification in the Race last year. All of them, who in principle will have problems to enter the tournaments of the Back Nine, have been opened an unexpected access door with the inclusion of a new category valid only for that stretch of the season that includes the top ten players of the Race to Dubai, within the top 110, who due to their current category could not enter these tournaments.
The best way to explain and understand it is with a graphic example. This way we will know who really benefits from this new category and how they can take advantage of it. The example is the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, the best tournament of the year in Europe after the Scottish Open. Every year the School players and a good handful of the Challenge ones, if not all, were left out. Now they are going to have an opportunity based on meritocracy. They have to earn it.
In 2023, the Wentworth entry list closed with Robin Sciot-Siegrist. He entered through the Challenge Tour. Specifically, nine entered through the Challenge category and he occupied that ninth position. However, it is normal that in 2024 the closure of the Wentworth Entry List will be even more demanding, since another new category has been created for the Back Nine that includes the top 15 of the FedEX Cup within the top 70. It seems difficult that all 15 places will be filled, but it is not unreasonable that at least ten will arrive, especially with the best ranked Europeans in the FedEX who will come to London to play.
So, assuming that this year the closure of the Entry List of the BMW PGA Championship will be with the players who kept the card last year, these are the golfers who would benefit from the new category today:
– Ugo Cousaud. His category is that of the Challenge Tour. He finished fourth last year in the Road to Mallorca. He is in 24th place in the Race to Dubai. He would be the first to get in through this new category if the Back Nine started tomorrow.
– Joe Dean. He has the School category and is in 30th place in the Race to Dubai.
– Bernd Wiesberger. He has the category of the list of accumulated earnings on the European Tour. It goes before the Challenge Tour and after those who kept the card. He is in 33rd place in the Race to Dubai.
– Frederic Lacroix. Challenge Tour category. He was 13th in the Road to Mallorca a year ago. He is in 37th place in the Race to Dubai.
– Sam Bairstow. Challenge category by finishing 18th in the Road a year ago. He is in 47th place in the Race.
– Andrea Pavan. Challenge category. He was 8th in the Road. He is 53rd in the Race.
– Darren Fichardt. School category. He is in 55th place in the Race.
– David Micheluzzi. International circuits category (Australasia). He is 58th in the Race.
– Manu Elvira. Challenge category. He finished 5th in the Road and is 58th in the Race.
– Kiradech Aphibarnrat. School category. He is 59th in the Race.
These would be the ten players who would currently benefit from this new category created for the Back Nine.
However, this list can still change, as there are still tournaments to be played where points will be added, specifically the tournaments of the Closing Swing that starts this Thursday and consists of four weeks, in addition to the Olympic Games that do not count for the Race. So, these players are playing it in the ISCO Championship in the United States (those involved in this battle for their category do not enter the Scottish Open), the Barracuda Championship or the Open (if any has managed to qualify), Czech Republic and Denmark.
It should be remembered that the new category closes in the following way: the seven best after the tournament in Czechia, to which the three best after Denmark will be added for a total of ten. There is, therefore, a double cut.
Looking at this graphic example, right now Manu Elvira would be in Wentworth, although he still has to play well in the coming weeks to keep his place, Iván Cantero is close, just over 80 points from Aphibarnrat, although he needs to do well this week and Sebas García Rodríguez and Alfredo García Heredia are obliged to do very well these four weeks, although they will not have many opportunities. Elvira and Cantero play in the hybrid in the United States this week, while Sebas is not signed up and Alfredo does not enter. Then they would have the Barracuda, Czechia and Denmark.
