The DP World Tour, formerly known as the European Tour, is one of the best golfing circuits on Earth.
It has a proud history, typically used as a starting point in the careers of budding young non-American professionals, with the most successful players moving on to the PGA Tour.
The DP World Tour has a core of players from Europe, but has become increasingly diverse. The Asian Tour and the Japan Tour obviously cater for many Asian stars, but that continent is also well represented on the DP World Tour.
The Sunshine Tour (South Africa) and the Australasian Tour (Australia and its surrounds) are considered lesser tours to the DP World Tour, so South Africans and Australians are always keen to find a way on to the DP World Tour.
Dates
The DP World Tour will run from 21st November 2025 until the 16th November 2026.
It kicks off with a down under double-header – the Australian PGA Championship from Brisbane and the Australian Open in Melbourne.
As usual, the upcoming season will have a number of sections known as swings, in different parts of the world, before culminating with the DP World Tour Championship.
The swings are as follows:
- Opening Swing (27th November - 21st December, 2025)
- International Swing (15th January - 8th March, 2026)
- Asian Swing (19th March - 3rd May, 2026)
- European Swing (7th May - 5th July, 2026)
- Closing Swing (9th July - 23rd August, 2026)
- Back 9 (27th August - 25th October, 2026)
- DP World Tour Playoffs (5th November - 15th November, 2026)
Locations
The DP World Tour travels around Australasia, Africa, Asia, America and Europe.
Australasia and Africa have been established DP World Tour locations for a long time, before Asia slowly but surely became a key component in the DP World Tour schedule.
America is the most recent addition to the regulation DP World Tour schedule. Of course, Stateside events have been part of the DP World Tour since its creation, with the Masters, the US Open and the US PGA Championship.
Those three Majors have always involved DP World Tour players – and more recently World Golf Championship events took place in America as tournaments co-sanctioned between the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour.
Last season, though, for the first time, two extra PGA Tour events became part of the DP World Tour as well – the Barbasol Championship and the Barracuda Championship. More co-sanctioned events like this are on the cards for 2024.
Key Events
The Majors are the most important tournaments on the DP World Tour calendar. The Masters starts in Georgia on 6th April, with the US PGA Championship following on 18th May, the US Open on 15th June, then the Open Championship on 20th July.
The World Golf Championships no longer exist, so the Rolex Series events have become the most prestigious non-Major gatherings on the DP World Tour schedule. The Rolex events have enhanced prize money.
The Abu Dhabi Championship on 19th January is the first of them, followed by the Dubai Desert Classic (26th January), the Scottish Open (13th July), the BMW PGA Championship (14th September) and the DP World Tour Championship (16th November).
History
The European Tour was formed in 1972, becoming the DP World Tour in 2021. In November, 2020, the DP World Tour formed a “strategic alliance” with the PGA Tour. As well as the co-sanctioned events between the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour, the top ten players on the DP World Tour end-of-season rankings qualify for PGA Tour cards.
Colin Montgomerie is the most prolific winner of season-long battles in Europe. Montgomerie won the European Tour Order of Merit – what later became the Race to Dubai – eight times. Rory McIlroy has won the Race to Dubai six times, closing in on Monty's record.
Current Holder
McIlroy won the last Race to Dubai, and is in prime position to win his seventh title come the end of the 2025 season in a month's time.
Prize Money
Prize money has increased rapidly on the DP World Tour in recent years. Not including the major championships, golfers will be competing for a share of the $157.5 million purse in 2026.
The prize funds for the five Rolex Series events in 2026 will be $9m for the Abu Dhabi Championship, the Dubai Desert Classic, the Scottish Open and the BMW PGA Championship, and $10m for the DP World Tour Championship.
Players
Rory McIlroy is the favourite to win the Race to Dubai again. The Northern Irishman has ended up top of the European rankings in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Other European stars including Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland and Tommy Fleetwood will make appearances throughout the season.
