The DP World Tour and PGA Tour’s Strategic Alliance brought with it guaranteed prize pools for the DP World Tour and increased pathways for the top players on the European circuit to make their way onto the PGA Tour.
The move was criticised in many quarters, with the DP World Tour effectively becoming a feeder tour for it’s US-based counterpart, and it remains to be seen just how many of the regular DP World Tour events we’ll see the 10 graduates compete in in 2024, but there’s little doubt that it’s a positive move for the 10 players concerned.
And here they are….
| Adrian Meronk |
| Nationality: Polish |
| OWGR: 48 |
| Race to Dubai ranking: 4 |
| The 6’ 5” big hitting Pole was desperately unlucky not to be selected for the European Ryder Cup team this year. Winner of the Australian Open, the Italian Open and the Andalucia Masters, he was the standout player among those not already PGA Tour exempt. He captured his first DPWT victory at the 2022 Horizon Irish Open and led the tour in strokes gained off the tee in 2023. |
| Ryan Fox |
| Nationality: New Zealander |
| OWGR: 28 |
| Race to Dubai ranking: 5 |
| The powerful Kiwi won just once in the 2023 season, but it couldn’t have come at a better time, recovering from a triple-bogey on the final day to seal victory at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, virtually securing his place among the ten graduates. The son of a former All-Black, he has four DPWT wins, twice been runner up in the Irish Open, and has a best finish of T16 in a major championship. |
| Victor Perez |
| Nationality: French |
| OWGR: 70 |
| Race to Dubai ranking: 7 |
| Victory in the Rolex Series Abu Dhabi Championship earlier in the year was the catalyst for the now three-time DP World Tour winner to secure his place among the graduates, but having gone off the boil in the middle third of the season, two top-10s in his last three starts helped cement his place in the top 10 though, like Meronk, missing out on Ryder Cup qualification will have come as a bitter blow. |
| Thorbjørn Olesen |
| Nationality: Danish |
| OWGR: 77 |
| Race to Dubai ranking: 9 |
| His one victory in 2023 came at the Thailand Open back in February, but six further top-10 finishes and just three missed cuts during the season (two of which came in major championships) meant that the 2018 Ryder Cup winner was one of the most consistent performers throughout the season. He now has seven DP World Tour wins and has finished in the top-10 in both the Masters and the Open Championship. |
| Alexander Bjørk |
| Nationality: Swedish |
| OWGR: 78 |
| Race to Dubai ranking: 11 |
| The first man on the list not to have won in 2023, Bjørk’s high-placing in the Race to Dubai was purely down to consistency, finishing in the top 10 eight times with runner-up placings at the Raz Al-Khaimah Championship and the Omega European Masters. He has made the cut in just one of his seven major appearances to date, and has yet to tee it up in the Masters or the U.S. Open. |
| Sami Välimäki |
| Nationality: Finnish |
| OWGR: 108 |
| Race to Dubai ranking: 12 |
| Victory in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters last month was the Finn’s second DP World Tour victory, both wins coming in playoffs and sees him become the first player from his country to hold a PGA Tour card. |
| Robert MacIntyre |
| Nationality: Scottish |
| OWGR: 56 |
| Race to Dubai ranking: 13 |
| Came desperately close to securing his PGA Tour status outright at the Genesis Scottish Open with an incredible birdie at the last only for Rory McIlroy to trump him with two incredible closing birdies of his own. The 27-year-old left-hander is a two time DPWT winner and, having qualified outright, accrued 2.5 points from a possible three at the Ryder Cup in Rome. |
| Matthieu Pavon |
| Nationality: French |
| OWGR: 95 |
| Race to Dubai ranking: 15 |
| The 2023 Open de Espana winner secured his place with a 72nd hole birdie at the DP World Tour Championship to finish tied for fifth, knocking out Rasmus Højgaard in the process. The win in Madrid was his first DPWT success and he’s progressed through the ranks beginning on the Alps Tour before graduating to the Challenge Tour, DP World Tour and now, aged 31, the PGA Tour. |
| Jorge Campillo |
| Nationality: Spanish |
| OWGR: 106 |
| Race to Dubai ranking: 16 |
| The 37-year-old captured his third DPWT victory at the Magical Kenya Open in 2023, and it came in a run that saw him post five top-10 finishes in a row. He also lost out to Valimaki in a playoff in Qatar. His maiden Tour win at the Trophy Hassan II in 2019 came in his 229th DPWT event. In seven major starts, Campillo is yet to tee it up at the weekend. |
| Ryo Hisatsune |
| Nationality: Japanese |
| OWGR: 83 |
| Race to Dubai ranking: 17 |
| Having earned his 2023 DPWT playing rights through Q-School, the 21-year-old made the most of his opportunity, finishing tied for second at the season-opening Australian Open posting five additional top-10 finishes and winning his first title at the Cazoo French Open back in September. As a Japanese Challenge Tour rookie in 2021, he won three times. |
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