BREAKING NEWS: Rory McIlroy Faces New PGA Tour Rivals as 10 Players Secure 2025 Cards. giang

The DP World Tour season concluded in a thrilling fashion on Sunday, with Rory McIlroy clinching the Tour Championship and his sixth Race To Dubai title.

However, it was also a significant day for 10 other golfers in the Middle East. A total of 10 PGA Tour cards were at stake at the Earth Course, awarded to the top 10 finishers in the Race To Dubai who didn’t already possess the coveted ticket to play on the profitable circuit across the Atlantic. As McIlroy was inching his way to a third consecutive Race To Dubai title, players lower down the leaderboard were vying for valuable ranking points to secure their spot to play in the United States in 2025.

There were displays of composure and resilience as some managed to sneak into the top 10. For others, it was a heart-wrenching afternoon as they missed their chance. The rankings are set to be officially confirmed on Monday, but here is the projected top 10.

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Rasmus Hojgaard

The Danish player has experienced a rollercoaster of emotions over the past 12 months. He narrowly missed out on a card last season by just one spot, while his twin brother Nicolai won the Tour Championship and secured his trip to the U.S.

However, Rasmus, 23, bounced back impressively in 2024, winning the Irish Open and demonstrating remarkable consistency to earn his PGA Tour card. He gave McIlroy a run for his money on a tense final day of the Tour Championship, and a second-place finish was enough to secure the same spot in the Race To Dubai standings.

Matteo Manassero

Once considered one of the greatest young talents in the sport alongside McIlroy, Manassero spent years in obscurity. The Italian won his first European Tour win at the age of 17 in 2010 and claimed three more victories over the next three years, including the prestigious BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in 2013. Manassero seemed destined for greatness when he peaked at No. 25 in the OWGR.

However, he went more than a decade without a DP World Tour victory, lost his card, and plummeted to as low as 1,805 in the world rankings in 2020. But he has made a remarkable comeback in the past couple of years and ended his wait for a big win by claiming victory in the Jonsson Workwear Open in South Africa in March. Now aged 31, Manassero has climbed back into the top 100 of the OWGR and has the opportunity to finally fulfill his promise on the biggest stage.

Thriston Lawrence

Perhaps the most consistent player on the DP World Tour this season, the South African golfer, currently ranked 47th in the world, didn’t clinch a win but had five second-place finishes and came fourth at The Open Championship.

The 27-year-old was the only one who could have beaten McIlroy to the Race to Dubai title, but he wasn’t in contention at the Earth Course, finishing tied for 30th. Yet third place in the order of merit and earning a PGA Tour card marks a breakthrough season.

Paul Waring

The 39-year-old has been somewhat of a late bloomer, securing his first win in six years – and only the second of his career – last week at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. This result catapulted him towards the top of the Race To Dubai standings, and the Englishman sealed the deal with a solid finish in the Tour Championship, finishing tied for 16th.

Once considered a journeyman, Waring has moved to just outside the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and will be playing in the U.S. next season.

Jesper Svensson

The Swede made his mark on the DP World Tour with a victory at the Porsche Singapore Classic in March, and strong performances at the Czech Masters and British Masters boosted his challenge for a top-10 spot. The 28-year-old got the job done, despite a one-over-par final round on Sunday. He finished at nine-under for the week and in a tie for seventh, securing 10th place in the order of merit.

Niklas Norgaard

The 32-year-old Dane’s victory at the British Masters in September saw him soar up the rankings. He has now reached a career-high of 89th in the OWGR, thanks to his seventh place at Wentworth and tied 10th at Yas Links last week. Despite not performing his best at the Earth Course this week, finishing tied-40th, Norgaard’s hard work had already paid off as he joins the growing Scandinavian contingent on the PGA Tour.

Thorbjorn Olesen

Another Scandinavian player, Olesen, is making his way to America after securing his card with a 13th-place finish in the Race To Dubai. At 34, he’s one of the more seasoned players on this list, boasting eight DP World Tour titles including the Ras Al Khaimah Championship in January.

Olesen was part of the victorious Ryder Cup team that beat the Americans at Le Golf National in 2018 and earned a PGA Tour card last season by finishing ninth in the Race To Dubai. However, his 157th place finish in the FedEx Cup put his card at risk. Fortunately, a tied-24th finish on Sunday secured him another shot in the U.S. next year.

Antoine Rozner

The 31-year-old Frenchman has played his way onto the PGA Tour thanks to a strong end to the season. He finished fourth at the Genesis Championship in South Korea three weeks ago and followed it up with a tied-sixth at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship seven days later.

His good form continued at the Earth Course, where he entered the final round tied for the lead with McIlroy and Hojgaard. Although a one-over-par round dashed his hopes of a career-best win, a tied-third finish was enough to earn his PGA Tour card.

Rikuya Hoshino

The 28-year-old Japanese talent has also benefited from the strengthened relationship between the DP World Tour and smaller circuits around the world, which has given him more opportunities to play on a bigger stage.

He seized this opportunity, claiming his first DP World Tour win at the Qatar Masters in February. Hoshino, a six-time champion on the Japan Golf Tour and currently ranked 132nd in the world, managed to secure one of the ten cards available, finishing tied for 28th at two-under-par.

Tom McKibbin

The young golfer from Northern Ireland has inevitably drawn comparisons to McIlroy due to his talent. The close relationship between McKibbin and the four-time major champion has been beneficial for the young golfer. After walking off the 18th green, McIlroy was quick to give the 21-year-old a big hug to congratulate him on making it to the PGA Tour.

It was a tense afternoon for the Belfast-born youngster, who won his first – and so far only – DP World Tour at the Porsche European Open last season. Consecutive bogeys at 15 and 16 put him on the wrong side of the cut line. However, McKibbin proved his mettle with a crucial birdie at the last hole, finishing tied for 11th and securing the final card on offer, much to the disappointment of Jordan Smith and Laurie Canter.