Amid Rory McIlroy’s Dubai Triumph, Here Are 5 Lesser-Known Shining DPWT Stars of 2023

The DP World Tour saw an exciting season of golf over the season. Moreover, owing to the skills and techniques that the talented players, including the likes of Rory McIlroy, were able to display on the greens, they were able to cement their position on the top of the Race to Dubai rankings.

And with a scintillating season, McIlroy was able to claim his fifth title of the season-long championship. But even so, many other golfers in the European circuit were able to prove their mettle on the course and bring the attention to themselves. And now, the question naturally pokes its head out, who are the other athletes that were able to make a mark in the game, earning themselves a card on the PGA Tour, no less?

Meet the top 5 golfers who emerged as big winners

As per the new “Ten Cards Initiative”, the leading players on the standings will earn rights to play for the American circuit. However, it does not apply to those who are already exempt from the PGA Tour. Here are the top five athletes who are in line to win the same.

1. Adrian Meronk – Topping the list is the Polish professional with 2,869.69 points at No. 3 in the Race to Dubai rankings. From the 23 tournaments played on the European Tour this year, the 30-year-old was able to garner two wins at the DS Automobiles Italian Open and the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters. Moreover, the 4X DP World Tour champ is 46th on the OWGR.

2. Ryan Fox – Following closely behind Meronk is the Kiwi at No. 4 on the list. Currently, at 28 on the world rankings, the 36-year-old has participated in 18 events while finishing a total of 3 times inside the top 10 including emerging victorious at the BMW PGA Championship. He is placed at No. 4 on the standings with 2,803.49 points.

3. Victor Perez – The French professional is placed at 5th on the Race to Dubai standings with number s2,105.62. The 31-year-old and the current world No. 74 finished a total of three times inside the top 10 from the 21 starts on the DP World Tour. Moreover, he was also able to claim the title of champion at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship with a score of 18-under 270.

4. Thorbjørn Olesen – At the sixth position in the rankings is Olesen with 2,103.54 points. The professional from Denmark is currently 76th on the OWGR and has a total of 7 wins on the European Tour with one of them coming off this year at the Thailand Classic. Moreover, he has a total of seven top-10 placements in the 23 events that he played on the circuit.

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5. Alexander Björk – The current No. 75 in the world rankings, the Swede golfer is placed at 7th on the Race to Dubai standings. Although he doesn’t have a single win in 2023, the 1X DP World Tour winner boasts nine finishes inside the top 10 including T2 at the Ras al Khaimah Championship and the Omega European Masters.

Rory McIlroy tops the season-long race

Sitting more than 2000 points ahead of the No. 2 Jon Rahm, the Northern Irishman becomes the first player after 2009 to claim the title before the finale, the DP World Tour Championship. He was crowned for the first time in 2012, and he managed to repeat the feat in 2014, 2015, and 2022 followed by the current year.

Well, one can’t help but respect the pro as he came to be crowned from just nine starts in the European Tour, out of which three of them were majors in which he finished inside the top 10. Moreover, he emerged victorious at the Genesis Scottish Open and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic propelling him to the top of the standings.

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