Right after the 2024 season concluded with Rory McIlroy lifting two trophies, the DP World Tour was gearing up for yet another remarkable season to start. And it has done so! After starting the 2025 season in the Land Down Under, the European Tour will now move to the plains of South Africa. The Opening Swing will have two tournaments in the Rainbow Nation. The first is the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

It is hosted by Gary Player at the Gary Player Golf Course in Sun City. The event was not held in the 2024 season and has returned on the 2025 Race to Dubai. The top 66 players from the DP World Tour and a few from the American side will be teeing up from December 5th to 8th, but only one will be the winner. Who that might be?

1. Max Homa

The entire 2024 season has been winless for Max Homa as his form dwindled on the PGA Tour. But the Sun City has been lucky for the 35th-ranked golfer in the past. The last time Homa lifted the Nedbank Golf Challenge’s trophy was in 2023 and is returning as the defending champion. Although Homa didn’t card any runner-up positions in the 2024 season, the 34-year-old had five top-15 finishes on the PGA Tour.

And in his last appearance at the ZOZO Championship, the 6-time PGA Tour winner finished T27. From missing the cut at the Procore Championship and finishing 70th at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, Homa has indeed come a long way. He has won it once and surely can do it all over again!

2. Rasmus Hojgaard

Since turning professional, Rasmus Hojgaard has been a winner in every season except 2022. And the 2024 season was relatively better for the Danish pro than before. Just a few weeks before the win in the UAE, Hojgaard was the nightmare for Rory McIlroy. The 23-year-old pro snatched the Amgen Irish Open title from McIlroy as he faced yet another runner-up setback.

Hojgaard, on the other hand, celebrated his 5th DP World Tour victory and has been on trend. In the last 3 starts, his results have been T4 at the Andalucia Masters, T32 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, and solo second at the DP World Tour season finale. The young Danish phenom has always been dominant on the greens, and he won’t be stopped this time as well.

3. Paul Waring

It had been five years since Paul Waring‘s last victory, and he started being ranked outside the 200 mark. His form was deteriorating, and no one expected Paul Waring to win again. And that’s when he made it. At the DP World Tour’s first playoff, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Waring defeated the chasing pack of McIlroy, Shane Lowry, and Tyrrell Hatton for his second DP World Tour win.

After that, Waring played the season finale and carded T16 to end his season. He will be starting his 2025 season at the Nedbank Golf Challenge and hopefully continue the streak of top finishes.

4. Thriston Lawrence

It has been more than a year since Thriston Lawrence’s last victory on the DP World Tour, but that does not mean he cannot win again. In the 2024 season, Lawrence came close to that fifth victory many times but just could not capitalize on it. He carded five runner-up finishes at the Dubai Invitational, Jonsson Workwear Open, European Open, Betfred British Masters, and BMW PGA Championship.

He was also solo fourth at the 152nd Open in Royal Troon and in the final group. However, despite his incredible run, Lawrence could not taste victory. But his hard work may pay off as the 2025 season starts and he gets yet another chance to end the winless drought.

5. Jesper Svensson 

The Swede was also one of the few golfers to win in the 2024 season. It was Jesper Svensson’s debut on the DP World Tour, and the 28-year-old started it with a bang. He carded a runner-up score at the Investec South African Open Championship and the Bahrain Championship. Three events later, Svensson was the champion at the Singapore Classic as he clinched his maiden win.

Since then, he added three more top-10 finishes to his scorecard: solo second at the Czech Masters, 5th at the Betfred British Masters, and finally, T7 at the DP World Tour Championship. Svensson has had a great start in his debut season and would surely want to continue into the next.

With only two days left for the Nedbank Golf Challenge, the players have enough time to prepare for the Gary Player CC challenge and take home a share from the $6 million prize purse. Stay tuned to find out the 2025 season’s winner!