European Ryder Cup contenders Tyrrell Hatton and Sepp Straka not only made huge strides towards earning berths for Bethpage Black in September, they added considerably to their bank balances with their respective wins at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and the American Express Championship.
Hatton’s win at the Mijalis Course was his first triumph in Dubai, but his fifth Rolex Series win having previously won in neighbouring Abu Dhabi along with successes at the Italian Open, Turkish Airlines Open and BMW PGA Championship.
By holding off Kiwi Daniel Hillier, the Englishman took the top prize of just over $1.5 million, while Hillier, who held the 54-hole lead, took home just shy of $1 million for his solo second placing.
Rory McIlroy’s hopes of a fifth Dubai Desert Classic win and third in succession were slim at best after battling a cold putter for three rounds, but he saved his best effort for last and adds another $415k plus change for pushing his way into a tie for fourth, while fellow Holywood man Tom McKibbin continued to impress despite being in the eye of the storm over his expected move to LIV.
The 22-year-old opened with a round of 70 before carding three successive 69s to finish one shot behind his fellow clubmate and collect a cheque for just shy of $300,000.
With similar prizefunds on offer on both the DP World and PGA Tours this week, Straka put himself in a commanding position through 54 holes and his calm demeanour belied the internal pressure he was feeling as he put in a professional final-round performance to capture his third PGA Tour victory and secure his playing rights through 2027.
He also earns almost $1.6 million, while runner -up Justin Thomas, posting his best tournament finish since winning the 2022 PGA Championship gets $950k and change.
Hero Dubai Desert Classic Top 10 Payouts
| Position | Player | Score | Earnings |
| 1 | Tyrrell Hatton | -15 | $1,530,000 |
| 2 | Daniel Hillier | -14 | $990,000 |
| 3 | Laurie Canter | -13 | $563,400 |
| T4 | Rory McIlroy | -12 | $415,800 |
| T4 | Niklas Norgaard | -12 | $415,800 |
| T6 | Tom McKibbin | -11 | $292,500 |
| T6 | Shaun Norris | -11 | $292,500 |
| T8 | David Micheluzzi | -10 | $213,300 |
| T8 | Guido Migliozzi | -10 | $213,300 |
| T10 | Ryan Fox | -9 | $161,325 |
| T10 | Dylan Frittelli | -9 | $161,325 |
| T10 | Rasmus Neergaard Petersen | -9 | $161,325 |
| T10 | Patrick Reed | -9 | $161,325 |
American Express Championship Top 10 Payouts
| Position | Player | Score | Earnings |
| 1 | Sepp Straka | -25 | $1,584,000 |
| 2 | Justin Thomas | -23 | $959,200 |
| T3 | Jason Day | -22 | $519,200 |
| T3 | Justin Lower | -22 | $519,200 |
| T5 | Patrick Cantlay | -20 | $339,900 |
| T5 | Charley Hoffman | -20 | $339,900 |
| T7 | Camilo Villegas | -19 | $267,300 |
| T7 | Ben Griffin | -19 | $267,300 |
| T7 | Taylor Moore | -19 | $267,300 |
| T7 | Max Greyserman | -19 | $267,300 |
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