Players to watch at the DP World Tour Championship
Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Matt Fitzpatrick will undoubtedly be among the favorites for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, which starts on Thursday at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Rahm has won the event three times, including in 2022 when he defeated Tyrrell Hatton and Alex Noren by two strokes, while McIlroy and Fitzpatrick each had two wins.
There are many other top candidates in the 50-person field. Here are five players to keep an eye on.
Adriaan Meronk
Meronk was clearly out to prove a point after not being chosen by captain Luke Donald to represent Team Europe at the recent Ryder Cup matches in Rome.
The 30-year-old Meronk from Poland closed with a 66 at the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande last month to capture the Andalucía Masters, his third win on the DP World Tour this season. After bogeying two of his first three holes, he went eight under par the rest of the way to beat Germany’s Matti Schmid by one stroke.
“I’m just happy that the Ryder Cup and all the talk about it is over,” Meronk told the media after the tournament. “I can just concentrate on my game and keep going, and whoever doubted me, I hope I can prove them wrong.”
Earlier this year, Meronk, who attended East Tennessee State University, became the first player from Poland to make the cut in a PGA Tour event in the United States, finishing tied for 45th at the Genesis Invitational in California. A week later he finished in 14th place at the Honda Classic in Florida.
Min Woo Lee
Many fans may not be familiar with it Min Woo Lee of Australia.
However, that could change. He’s been playing well lately and there’s no reason why he can’t keep it up.
In his last five starts, Lee, 25 and ranked No. 43 in the world, has recorded three top 10 finishes, including a victory in the SJM Macao Open on the Asian Tour in mid-October. A week later he finished in sixth place in the Zozo Championship in Japan.
In June, Lee closed with a 67 and tied for fifth at the US Open. A few months earlier he finished sixth at the Players Championship in Florida.
In 2016, he won the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. His biggest professional victory was the 2021 Scottish Open, when he hit a yard from about 10 feet on the first playoff hole to beat Fitzpatrick and Thomas Detry.
Lee’s sister, Minjee, is also a professional golfer and won the American junior girls Golf Championship in 2012. When Min Woo won his title four years later, the two became the first siblings to win the junior titles. Minjee has won 10 times on the LPGA Tour, including the 2021 Evian Championship and the 2022 US Women’s Open.
Ryan Fox
Like Lee, New Zealand fox isn’t exactly a big name, but he’s had some excellent tournaments lately.
In September, No. 28 Fox recovered from an early triple bogey to capture the BMW PGA Championship by one stroke. A few weeks later he came second at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which he won in 2022. Fox, 36, has won four times on the DP World Tour.
“I certainly didn’t think I’d be talking to you [as the champion] after the third hole today,” he told Sky Sports after completing the BMW PGA Championship victory. “I’ve always had a bit of a hard time here.”
He has also struggled in the major championships; he has not recorded a single Top 15 in 18 appearances.
Fox, fourth in the Race to Dubai standings, made 13 starts on the PGA Tour last season. His best result overall was a tie for 12th at the Genesis Scottish Open.
Tyrrell Hatton
A member of Team Europe in the Ryder Cup in Rome, Hatton, ranked at number 12, is due. He has not won the DP World Tour since the 2021 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Not that he hasn’t had his moments.
In July he finished in sixth place at the Genesis Scottish Open. A month later he finished in 16th place at the Tour Championship in Atlanta, and in September he finished one stroke behind Fox at the BMW PGA Championship.
He went 3-0-1 in the Ryder Cup, including a victory over 2023 British Open champion Brian Harman.
Hatton, 32, from England, is not one to keep his emotions to himself.
“I think he’s generally very quiet,” Donald said at a news conference. “He has a strong personality when he wants to, so there’s always a joke and there’s always a joke. He occasionally outdoes himself on the course, but you don’t really see that on the course.”
Hatton has won six times on the DP World Tour. His lone victory on the PGA Tour came in the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Robert MacIntyre
Of all the tough losses in 2023, none was tougher than MacIntyre’s loss to McIlroy in the Genesis Scottish Open.
MacIntyre of Scotland birdied No. 18 on Sunday to complete a 64 and assume a one-stroke lead.
McIlroy had to birdie one of the last two holes to force a play-off.
He birdied both and knocked in a 10-footer on 18.
“It’s a painful decision because it’s a dream for a Scot to win a Scottish Open,” said MacIntyre, who would have been the first Scot to win the tournament since Colin Montgomerie in 1999.
MacIntyre, ranked No. 57, finished with a 2-0-1 record at the Ryder Cup. In his singles match on Sunday, he defeated Wyndham Clark, the reigning United States Open champion.
MacIntyre has won twice on the DP World Tour.