Last week, the European Tour’s 2020 season came to a close with a dramatic finish as usual in Dubai at the DP World Tour Championship . Not only was the US$3 Mn tournament winner’s purse decided on the final hole, but so was the Race to Dubai title, the culmination of the entire season.
The Race to Dubai saw its closest finish in European Tour History with just 25 points separating the top 3 players. When 47 year old Englishman Lee Westwood birdied 2 of the final 3 holes to take the Race to Dubai top spot, he also claimed the US$2 Mn bonus.
Top 3 Race to Dubai players 2020 –
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| Lee Westwood | 3128 |
| Matthew Fitzpatrick | 3110 |
| Patrick Reed | 3103 |
Top 3 Race to Dubai players 2019
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| John Rahm | 5898 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | 5414 |
| Bern Weisberger | 4905 |
Prior to 2019, the Race to Dubai points matched the prize money earned in USD .
Top 3 Race to Dubai players 2018
| Player | Points (Equal to Prize Money in USD) |
|---|---|
| Francesco Molinari | 4,79,521 |
| Patrick Reed | 3,96,351 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | 3,799,755 |
Top 3 Race to Dubai players 2017
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| Tommy Fleetwood | 4,316,566 |
| Justin Rose | 4,252,134 |
| Jon Rahm | 4,040,217 |
Top 3 Race to Dubai players 2016
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| Henrik Stenson | 4,148,402 |
| Danny Willett | 3,734,527 |
| Alex Noren | 3,447,323 |
In 2019, the European Tour started a point system to determine the Race to Dubai rankings which diminished the points difference in prize money earned in the biggest events like the US Open ( USD 12 million purse) and the Belgium Challenge (USD 1 Mn purse).
In 2019 also the Tour came to a dramatic conclusion as Spaniard Jon Rahm birdied the 72nd hole in Dubai to win not only the tournament but the Race to Dubai title, earning him a USD 5 Mn payday.
In contrast, on the US PGA Tour, Dustin Johnson won the season ending Tour championship and the season long Fedex Cup for a USD 15 Mn payday. Rory Mcilroy did the same on the PGA Tour in 2019 and he too was richer by USD 15 Mn for the week.