Comfortably exterior the highest 70, at first look it could seem each want excessive finishes from their journey to the Delhi Golf Membership to maintain alive their seasons. However, in reality, they’re already assured of their locations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
This is because of a bit publicised however pragmatic loophole whereby members of Europe’s Ryder Cup crew are additionally thought of eligible for subsequent month’s closing tournaments.
Fleetwood, who received the PGA Tour’s play-offs along with his stirring victory at August’s Tour Championship in Atlanta, lies 94th within the European tour’s season-long desk. Lowry, who sank the putt that retained the Ryder Cup, is a hundred and fifty fifth.
Different European team-mates who can probably profit are Ludvig Aberg (72nd) and Sepp Straka (147th).
This may query the integrity of a play-off system, which by definition is meant to carry cut-throat aggressive jeopardy, however this state of affairs additionally illustrates realities confronted by the Wentworth-based DP World Tour.
They’re reliant on massive backers resembling DP World, who’re additionally the title sponsors of this week’s occasion in India. They want the largest stars at their largest occasions to justify the funding, which runs to tens of millions of {dollars}.
Fleetwood has loved one in every of his most profitable seasons, capped by his first win on American soil at East Lake slightly below two months in the past.
He’s one in every of European golf’s superstars and, frankly, it could be unthinkable to stage the 2025 season finale with out him.
Frequent sense trumps aggressive integrity, despite the fact that the world quantity 5 – a Dubai resident – has reserved his finest performances for occasions that don’t depend on his residence tour.
Fleetwood has to date performed solely 4 DP World Tour occasions and failed to complete within the prime 20 at any of them; the Dubai Desert Traditional, Scottish Open, BMW PGA Championship or Alfred Dunhill Hyperlinks Championship.
The majors additionally depend on the Race to Dubai and his share of sixteenth on the Open was his solely prime 20 within the massive 4 tournaments. However on the American-based circuit he loved seven top-five finishes.
Fleetwood was additionally Europe’s prime factors scorer at Bethpage final month. It might be absurd for him to not be taking his place alongside the tour’s main stars on the finish of the season.
Whereas up to now the PGA and European excursions have been lethal rivals they’re now inextricably linked because of the strategic alliance that underpins DP World Tour prize funds.
Whereas Marco Penge, final week’s winner of the Open De Espana, has moved into McIlroy’s wing mirrors as his closest rival on the prime of the Race to Dubai, a lot of the curiosity for the remainder of the season could have an American bias.
The narrative will likely be pushed by the scramble for 10 locations on the PGA Tour for individuals who don’t have already got enjoying rights within the US. Penge, with three DPWT wins, is assured of what’s broadly thought to be ‘promotion’ to the US circuit.
The Clitheroe-based professional, who additionally assured invitations to the Masters and Open along with his Spanish success, shouldn’t be within the India subject however will mount a remaining push to attempt to overhaul McIlroy on the prime of the standings.
And Dan Brown, the person Penge beat within the Madrid play-off, is one in every of 4 different Britons within the thick of the battle for a 2026 PGA card.
Yorkshireman John Parry and the Bathtub duo of Jordan Smith and Laurie Canter additionally at present occupy spots that may yield a golden ticket for subsequent 12 months.
Some observers see this state of affairs as proof that the DP World Tour is now nothing greater than a feeder for large brother on the opposite facet of the pond.
However the DP World Tour argue it’s a very important mechanism that underpins their schedule, a vital and engaging component that maximises enjoying alternatives for its members.
Actually that is the time of the 12 months the place the realities and compromises of males’s skilled golf appear at their most evident.
