Rory McIlroy begins DP World Tour playoffs with commanding points lead

As the DP World Tour’s playoffs begin, Rory McIlroy has a commanding lead in the Race to Dubai.

McIlroy, who is set to compete in this week’s HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship and next week’s DP World Tour Championship, sits 1,572.39 points ahead of second-place Thriston Lawrence. That sizeable advantage puts McIlroy in great position to win his third straight Harry Vardon Trophy and sixth overall, which would tie McIlroy with Seve Ballesteros for second most all-time, behind only Colin Montgomerie’s eight.

The winner on Sunday in Abu Dhabi will earn 1,500 points while the champion the following Sunday in Dubai receives 2,000 points, so McIlroy certainly isn’t a lock yet. In fact, per the DP World Tour, players ranked all the way down to No. 37 Sam Bairstow still mathematically have a chance to win the Race to Dubai, though it would require McIlroy finishing last – 70th in Abu Dhabi and 50th in Dubai – in both playoff events for some of those contenders to lift the season-long title.

Lawrence and third-ranked Rasmus Hojgaard, who is 1,920.28 points back of McIlroy, are the only players within 2,000 points of McIlroy, so if McIlroy wins in Abu Dhabi, he’d lock up the Race to Dubai ahead of the season finale. McIlroy, though, has never won the tournament, last playing Abu Dhabi in 2022 when the event was contested in January.

No. 4 Billy Horschel is one of six top-70 players not playing in Abu Dhabi.