The tournament in India has concluded, and it’s time to update the standings for the various objectives in play during this final stretch of the DP World Tour season. The most immediate goals are qualifying for the Abu Dhabi playoff (top 70 available from the Race to Dubai) and securing the tour card. For the former, five players are fully in the fight. For the latter, we have only two. Let’s break it down…
Mathematically calculating the situation for Abu Dhabi is impossible because it’s not precisely known which players will participate in the tournament and who will choose to skip it. As such, it’s uncertain where the cut will occur. What we can do, and will do, is speculate with some informed reasoning, even at the risk of being wrong.
TOP 70 OF THE RACE TO DUBAI TO PLAY ABU DHABI
The only certainty is that Jon Rahm, who is in the top 70 of the Race to Dubai, will not play. This means, at the very least, the cut will be at position 71. From there, it’s quite reasonable to think that Viktor Hovland and Justin Rose will also not be in Abu Dhabi. We arrive at this conclusion because neither has been officially announced by the tournament, and they have enough significance, as a draw for ticket sales, for example, to have been publicised.
The fourth player with doubts is Alex Noren. The Swede is fighting to maintain his PGA Tour card. Next week he plays in Utah. If he secures the necessary points to ensure his rights on the American circuit, we shouldn’t rule out seeing him in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Conversely, if things don’t go well for him in Utah, he certainly won’t play in Abu Dhabi, as it coincides with the Mayakoba tournament on the PGA Tour, an event he would play if he needed the points to secure his card. He almost has it secured through the DP World Tour, but the other, finishing among the top 100 on the American circuit, is better.
If these speculations are confirmed, the cut for Abu Dhabi, barring any other last-minute surprises, would be at 74. Currently, we have Rafa Cabrera Bello in position 70, Iván Cantero in 72, Pablo Larrazábal in 84, Ángel Hidalgo in 90, and Nacho Elvira in 92. In position 74 is Ashun Wu. To surpass him, Elvira, who is the furthest away, would need at least a solo eighth place, although ideally, a top 5 would secure it. Rafa and Cantero would need to perform well in Korea to make it difficult for those coming from behind.
DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP IN DUBAI
The most significant move by the Spanish contingent in the Race to Dubai after India has been by Jorge Campillo. The Extremaduran, with his eleventh place in Delhi, has gained four positions and is provisionally in the Dubai Championship. Needless to say, he will still need to score in Korea and Abu Dhabi to secure his presence in the final tournament. Regardless, he now depends only on himself. The top 50 available after Abu Dhabi qualify for the Dubai Championship. Many things can still happen.
MAINTAINING THE DP WORLD TOUR CARD
The other major battle to be fought in South Korea is for the tour card. Alfredo García Heredia made a significant leap in India with a great Sunday. He gained 10 positions in the Race after finishing in the top 20 of the tournament and is in position 146. The top 115 maintain their card. He will need a top 5 in Korea to have a chance of keeping his card. Meanwhile, Joel Moscatel is obliged to finish in the top three to secure his stay without needing to return to the School. Moscatel is in position 156 in the Race.
DP WORLD TOUR SCHOOL FINAL
Another important objective is to avoid the second stage of the DP World Tour School. To do this, one must be among the top 145 in the Race after Korea. Alfredo is just over two points away from this goal (Andrew Wilson is 145), while Moscatel is more than 50 points away. He would need to finish at least in the top 20 in Korea to have any chance of going directly to the School Final.
PGA TOUR CARD VIA RACE TO DUBAI
Finally, regarding the fight for the PGA Tour card, the top ten in the Race who do not already have American rights, both Ángel Ayora and Eugenio Chacarra have lost ground this week. Ayora is more than 520 points behind Martin Couvra, the player who would currently receive the tenth card, while Chacarra is about 650 points behind. They are starting to be very much in need of excellent results in Korea, Abu Dhabi, and/or Dubai to have any chance of capturing one of those cards. There is room, but they will need to excel.
