Following the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, we now know who will take their places in the final event of the DP World Tour season, the DP World Tour Championship.
The Yas Links event saw a field of 72 compete to earn a spot in the last of the DP World Tour Play-Offs, which will take place at Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Earth Course in Dubai.
The biggest beneficiary in Abu Dhabi was the winner Aaron Rai. Not only did his defeat of Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff earn him the biggest title of his career and a cheque for $1.53m, it also booked his place in the DP World Tour Championship, having begun the tournament below the final qualifying position in 55th.
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However, for other players, there was the disappointment of narrowly missing out despite their best efforts in the first of the Play-Offs.
For some other notable names, their DP World Tour season is over, having not played in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and opting against teeing it up in Dubai. Here are the details.
Jon Rahm
Jon Rahm is taking an extended break from the game
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Jon Rahm was 57th in the Race to Dubai rankings ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, while his status as a member of European Ryder Cup team meant he was perfectly entitled to tee it up at the tournament.
However, in mid-October, he announced he was taking an extended break following the first winless season of his pro career, ruling him out of the Play-Offs.
He’ll return to action in February for the start of the new LIV Golf season.
Viktor Hovland
Viktor Hovland picked up a neck injury earlier in the season
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Another player who could have competed in Abu Dhabi thanks to his ranking and involvement in the European Ryder Cup team is Viktor Hovland.
Like Rahm, though, he wasn’t in the field despite a T6 in his most recent start, the DP World India Championship.
Hovland has been suffering from a neck injury that curtailed his involvement in the Ryder Cup and is instead using the time to recover ahead of the 2026 season.
Sepp Straka
Sepp Straka is taking time away from golf to look after his baby
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Straka is the third member of the European Ryder Cup team who isn’t competing in the Play-Offs.
The Austrian announced his withdrawal from the Play-Offs ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, opting to use the time to care for his baby son, who was born prematurely.
In a statement, he said: “I will be withdrawing from both the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the DP World Tour Championship to focus on my family during this important time.”
Straka’s absence from the Play-Offs means he is unable to fulfil his minimum Counting Tournament obligation on the DP World Tour this season.
However, the obligation was reduced from four events to two “in recognition of his serious personal circumstances since August.”
Matt Wallace
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Wallace could have teed it up in the first Play-Offs tournament, having reached 66th in the Race to Dubai rankings, but instead he was in Mexico competing in the World Wide Technology Championship.
There’s a good reason for that – he needs to ensure he is in the top 100 of the FedEx Cup Fall rankings at the end of the PGA Tour season.
Despite a respectable T31 at El Cardonal at Diamante, Wallace is 97th in the rankings with two events to play, highlighting the need to concentrate on points accumulation on the PGA Tour rather than the DP World Tour at this stage.
Adam Scott
Adam Scott has only made limited DP World Tour appearances this season
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Thanks to his limited number of DP World Tour appearances this season, former World No.1 Scott couldn’t force his way into the field for the first of the Play-Offs.
The closest he got to reaching the top 70 was 74th, which he reached after finishing 17th in July’s Genesis Scottish Open, but despite three more counting appearances following that, including the Genesis Championship, where he placed 30th, he was left stranded in 108th and unable to extend his DP World Tour campaign.
Ryan Fox
Ryan Fox couldn’t maintain a position in the top 70 of the Race to Dubai rankings to make it to the Play-Offs
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It was a similar story for Ryan Fox, although unlike Scott, the New Zealander had spells inside the top 70 during the season. Still, by mid-July he had slipped beneath the threshold, never to climb back above it.
His most recent DP World Tour start came at the Open de France, where he placed 14th. That took him to 91st, but without another appearance, he wasn’t able to improve on his position and he missed out on the Play-Offs.
Min Woo Lee
Min Woo Lee mainly plays on the PGA Tour
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Nowadays, Australian Lee mainly plies his trade on the PGA Tour, having earned his card via the Race to Dubai rankings in 2023.
As a result, his DP World Tour appearances have been limited this season and he was last above the top 70 in the rankings following April’s Masters.
Since then, despite starts in several more counting events, most recently at the Open de France, where he placed fifth, he wasn’t able to qualify for the Play-Offs, meaning he will not be appearing in Dubai.
Wenyi Ding
Wenyi Ding narrowly missed out on the first event in the Play-Offs
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Chinese prodigy Wenyi Ding wasn’t far away from making it into the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship field, having been 68th in the rankings ahead of the final regular event of the season, the Genesis Championship.
However, Ding didn’t play in that event, and it meant he slipped to 75th in the rankings, one place beneath the cut-off, bringing an end to his involvement in the DP World Tour this season.
Marcel Schneider
Marcel Schneider missed out on the final Play-Offs event by less than a point
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Schneider’s T56 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship earned him 30.6 Race to Dubai ranking points, but it wasn’t quite enough to book his place in the DP World Tour Championship.
In fact, Schneider missed out on a place by the narrowest of margins, falling just 0.28 points shy of Brandon Robinson Thompson, who takes the final place of those who qualified via the Race to Dubai rankings.
Richard Sterne
Richard Sterne played well in Abu Dhabi, but it wasn’t enough to qualify for the DP World Tour Championship
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After beginning the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 69th in the rankings, Sterne knew there was work to do to claim a place in the final event of the Play-Offs.
A brilliant 64 in the opening round appeared to set him on his way. However, that was as good as it got, and even though he remained in touch, he eventually placed T12.
That earned him 145.8 points to move up to 57th – not enough to make it to the DP World Tour Championship.
Had he finished just two shots better off in T7, he would have qualified.