Takeaways From a Memorable DP World Tour Season

View From The Fairway by Derek Clements

It says much about Rory McIlroy that he won four times in 2024 yet some will regard his season as a disappointment. He ended his year by claiming the DP World Tour Championship and the Race to Dubai for a sixth time, drawing him level with Seve Ballesteros.

This has been a year of near-misses for the Northern Irishman. Yes, he won the Dubai Desert Classic at the beginning of 2024. And there were also two wins on the PGA Tour. But he has had to endure more than his fair share of heartache.

In June it looked like he was finally going to end his 10-year major drought at the US Open but missed two short putts on the 16th and 18th greens to hand the title to Bryson DeChambeau. It was a defeat that the Northern Irishman found very hard to take. Indeed, he was so devastated that he announced he was taking a few weeks away from the game. His next major was The Open at Royal Troon where he duly missed the cut - the only time he has not made the weekend in Europe this year.

Finishing second at the Irish Open was also hard to take. And it happened to him again at the BMW PGA Championship where he lost in a playoff to Billy Horschel. He was also second to Tommy Fleetwood at the Dubai Invitational. He was tied third at the Abu Dhabi Championship and tied fourth at the Scottish Open. He also narrowly missed out on a medal at the Olympic Games.

While he will be heading off for his winter break with an overall sense of disappointment, there are many who would give eye teeth for the sort of year he has had.

He said: "I've been through a lot this year, professionally, personally and it feels like the fitting end to 2024. I've persevered this year a lot, had close calls, wasn't able to get it done, so to be able to get over the line... I'm really pleased with the way I finished and thankfully I hung on on a tough day and got the job done." 

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

A total of 10 players have picked up PGA Tour cards. 

They are:

1. Rasmus Hojgaard

2. Thriston Lawrence

3. Paul Waring

4. Jesper Svensson

5. Niklas Norgaard

6. Matteo Manassero

7. Thorbjorn Olesen

8. Antoine Rozner

9. Rikuya Hoshino

10. Tom McKibbin

How will they fare in 2025?

Lawrence has had a phenomenal couple of years on the DP World Tour and after an incredibly consistent season he now finds himself heading across the Pond. The South African hits the ball a long way and has a terrific short game. I have no doubts whatsoever that he will comfortably retain his card. Mind you, I said the same thing about Ryan Fox 12 months ago and the New Zealander has found it a real challenge. 

Life on the PGA Tour is very different. Before winning the Canadian Open, Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre openly admitted that he was struggling with the different lifestyle. But that victory changed everything for him and would go on to win the Scottish Open in emotional fashion. He now looks world-class and has his eyes set on the top 10 in the world rankings.

Hojgaard narrowly missed out last time but will be joining his twin, Nicolai, on the PGA Tour next season after a wonderful 2024. Nicolai comfortably retained his playing rights and I believe that the brothers will inspire one another to even greater heights. They are both supremely gifted golfers who possess fabulous temperaments and have the world at their feet.

Waring, who won in Abu Dhabi, can scarcely believe his luck. He will not mind me describing him as a journeyman but his life is about to change. His success in Abu Dhabi was just his second DP World Tour victory. He is 39 years old and I guarantee that this is a career turn he was not expecting. I believe he will struggle on the PGA Tour but he will go there knowing that he has nothing to lose.

I have been hugely impressed by Norgaard. The Norwegian won the British Masters in some style. He hits the ball a country mile but misses a lot of fairways. In Europe that has cost him but he can cross the Atlantic knowing that he will be playing many courses where wayward tee shots will go largely unpunished. Of all the 2025 graduates, Norgaard is the one I expect to see achieve the most. His game is made for American courses.

I expect Hoshino of Japan to make some waves. He secured his card early in the year after finishing second at the Australian PGA and Australian Open 12 months ago before adding the Qatar Masters in February. He has gone off the boil somewhat since then but, like many from his part of the world, he possesses a magical short game.

Olesen has been there before and struggled and I see no reason why that should change. In fact, the Dane may well decide to maintain his focus on the DP World Tour, where he continues to enjoy tremendous success.

Rozner will hope to follow in the footsteps of fellow Frenchman Matthieu Pavon, who gained his card 12 months ago and stunned everybody, himself included, by winning the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. He is now comfortably inside the top 50 in the world rankings. Frankly, I will be surprised if Pavon does not find it all something of a struggle.

For me, the most heartwarming story of 2024 has been the comeback of Italian Matteo Manassero. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when he won the Jonsson Workwear Open, his first for 11 long and painful years. There was a feeling that it might have been a one-off but he also finished third at the Irish Open and tied fourth at the BMW PGA Championship - these were the performances that effectively clinched his PGA Tour card. As much as I would love him to prove me wrong, I believe Manassero will struggle in America - he simply doesn’t hit the ball far enough. Personally, I hope that he opts to spend most of his time on the DP World Tour. Confidence is everything in golf - nobody knows that better than Manassero - and missed cuts will destroy that.

I also hope that Tom McKibbin continues to play most of his golf on the DP World Tour. His talent is beyond question but I am not convinced that he is ready for the PGA Tour yet - after a further 12 months on his home tour I believe he will be ready to compete with the big boys.

Sweden's Jepser Svensson won in Singapore and finished second three times. He hits the ball a long, long way and should find that many of the courses he will face are made for his game. I would not be surprised to see him win and qualify for Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup team.

Elsewhere, there has been much to admire among the cream of Europe’s golfers. 

Fleetwood won in Dubai early in the year, seeing off McIlroy for a famous victory. But this has been another nearly year for the man from Southport. He is a fantastic ball striker but even he would admit that he doesn’t win as many tournaments as he should. The fact that he has climbed to ninth in the world rankings tells you everything you need to know about his level of consistency. He finished tied third at The Masters, tied third at the Open de Espana, third at the Dunhill Links and tied sixth in Abu Dhabi after a poor finish. I still find it barely credible that he is still looking for his first win on American soil but he played well enough to make it to the season-ending Tour Championship.

And I can’t finish without a mention of Shane Lowry. In 20 starts on the PGA Tour he made 18 cuts, winning the Zurich Classic in partnership with McIlroy, as well as seven top 10s. He hasn’t missed a cut on the DP World Tour in 2024 and leading up to the DP World Tour Championship had finished no worse than tied 13th in five successive starts. He has a glorious short game. He went more than 350 holes without a three-putt - just stop and think about that for a minute.

Tyrrell Hatton appealed against his fines and suspension for joining LIV Golf and finished the season showing us what we have been missing. He has said that he is desperate to play in the Ryder Cup next year and has already picked up plenty of qualifying points along with much-needed world ranking points. Jon Rahm also appealed against his fines and suspensions. Like Hatton, he claims to want to be in Luke Donald’s team to face the Americans in 2025. He qualified to play in both the Abu Dhabi Championship and DP World Tour Championship but was nowhere to be seen. It is hardly what you would call commitment to the cause, is it?