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PREVIEW: 2024 DP World Tour – DP World Tour Championship

The DP World Tour heads to the Earth Course in Dubai for the 2024 edition of the DP World Tour Championship. Damien Kayat previews.

Rory McIlroy

The DP World Tour heads to the Earth Course in Dubai for the 2024 edition of the DP World Tour Championship. Damien Kayat previews.

Two women looking excitedly at cellphone

2024 DP World Tour
DP World Tour Championship
The Earth Course
14 – 17 November 2024

Paul Waring saw off a star-studded field to win last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, making birdies on the 17th and 18th to hold off Tyrell Hatton by two strokes.

Waring was exemplary all week, shooting a course-record 61 on Friday to claim a 2nd DP World Tour title (his first coming at the 2018 Nordea Masters).

He will be looking for another strong showing at this season-ending showpiece, further bolstering his Ryder Cup claims. The 2023/2024 season draws to a close this week with the latest installment of the DP World Tour Championship.

DP World Tour Championship

This will be the 2nd and final DP World Tour playoff event of the season (and the last of five Rolex Series events). This event was first played 15 years ago, when the DP World Tour desperately looked to replicate the success of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Series.

The Race to Dubai was born, with the DP World Tour Championship serving as the season’s climatic event.

Rory McIlroy is virtually assured of securing the coveted Harold Vardon trophy for the 6th time this week, bringing him level with the iconic Seve Ballesteros in the all-time stakes.

Still just 35 years of age, McIlroy should be well positioned to take a crack at Colin Montgomerie’s record eight Order of Merit titles. The only man who can mathematically catch McIlroy this week is South African Thriston Lawrence (buoyed by another solid outing last week).

In the future, perhaps the DP World Tour could emulate the PGA Tour and create a little more tension in these closing events. There will be some jeopardy this week, with the top-ten players in the Race to Dubai rankings (not otherwise exempt) earning a PGA Tour card.

Ryder Cup heroes Jon Rahm and Ludvig Aberg have opted to sit this week out. Aberg hasn’t fully recovered from a knee injury while Rahm – a three-time winner of this event – has opted to spend time with family.

Rahm has competed in four DP World Tour events this season, preserving his membership for next year, thereby keeping his Ryder Cup hopes alive. Connor Syme and Francesco Laporte have been drafted in to replace the duo in the 50-man field.

The Earth Course

There is something ironic about the fact that the DP World Tour’s grand, season-ending showpiece is played on a Greg Norman design: Norman and his band of Saudi cohorts have uprooted the traditional golfing establishment these past few years.

Be that as it may, the Earth Course has been the host venue of this event since its inception. Coming in at nearly 7,700 yards, the Earth Course is a bit of a brute.

The generous fairways – which are typical of desert layouts- mean that distance should be favoured over accuracy this week. Also, it is probably smart to look for players with solid desert form.

The TifEagle Bermuda greens feature dramatic undulations and will require some precision from the fairway (little wonder Morikawa won here in 2021). The closing holes are dramatic and can drastically alter the course of events (just ask Rory McIlroy).

The par 3 17th has an island green and the 18th is one of the most dramatic risk-reward holes you can imagine. Anticipate some drama in that fiendish final stretch.

Contenders

Rory McIlroy will once again be looking back at a year of maybes. He was well positioned in two majors, completely imploding at Pinehurst to hand the title to Bryson DeChambeau.

In any event, he just needs a top-ten finish here to guarantee himself of the season-ending title (regardless of what Lawrence does).

Tyrell Hatton finished solo 2nd last week and has been in generally fantastic form in recent months, winning a maiden LIV title before claiming his 3rd Alfred Dunhill Links crown.

Fellow LIV practitioner Joaquin Niemann will be hoping for a solid week to gain some precious world ranking points. Tommy Fleetwood looked brilliant last week and should always be a factor in desert conditions.

Elsewhere, the likes of Thriston Lawrence and Matt Wallace will be hoping to punctuate their impressive campaigns. It’s also nice to see Wentworth champ Billy Horschel in action this week.

Past Winners

2023: Nicolas Hojgaard (-21)
2022: Jon Rahm (-20)
2021: Collin Morikawa (-17)
2020: Matthew Fitzpatrick (-15)
2019: Jon Rahm (-19)
2018: Danny Willett (-18)

To Win Outright:

Rory McIlroy 5/1 | Tyrell Hatton 6/1 | Tommy Fleetwood 7/1 | Joaquin Niemann 11/1 | Shane Lowry 12/1

Value Bet

Matt Wallace – To Win 18/1 | To Place 39/10

Englishman Matt Wallace has enjoyed a stellar comeback campaign, winning in the Swiss mountains to put himself in a solid position ahead of next year’s Ryder Cup.

Wallace has remained in decent nick since that Swiss victory, finishing 3rd alongside McIlroy and Olesen at last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (this despite an ordinary putting display).

He ranked 10th off the tee and 3rd on approach last week. He also has sensational course form, finishing runner-up in 2018 and during last year’s edition (where he shot a mesmerizing 60).

The Man to Beat – Rory McIlroy 5/1 | To Place 11/10

I really think that McIlroy represents decent value at 5/1 this week. The absence of three-time champion Rahm is a big factor in this choice.

McIlroy has had a season defined by near-misses. Still, he has done enough to put himself in position to claim a 6th Harold Vardon trophy.

He looked assured in Abu Dhabi last week, finishing in a tie for 3rd despite being off for more than a month. He led the field in SG: Off-the-Tee and was 6th in SG: Putting (a vicious combination for this course).

McIlroy is arguably at his most dangerous on a course that he enjoys, winning his 4th title at Quail Hollow earlier this season. More importantly, he also won his 4th title at this season’s Dubai Desert Classic, reinforcing his brilliant form in the region.

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