PGA Tour welcomes 10 new members including Rory McIlroy protege and forgotten wonderkid

Ten DP World Tour stars have punched their tickets to play on the PGA Tour next season after a dramatic final round of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai on Sunday

The DP World Tour season came to a dramatic close on Sunday with Rory McIlroy winning the Tour Championship and a sixth Race To Dubai title, but it was an equally memorable day for 10 other men in the Middle East.

Ten PGA Tour cards were up for grabs at the Earth Course, awarded to the top 10 finishers in the Race To Dubai who did not already hold the golden ticket to play on the lucrative circuit across the pond.

Rasmus Hojgaard

The Dane has gone from agony to relief in the space of 12 months. He missed out on a card last season by just one spot, while his twin brother Nicolai won the Tour Championship and booked his flight stateside.

But Rasmus, 23, has responded in style in 2024, winning the Irish Open and showing supreme consistency to secure his PGA Tour card. He pushed McIlroy hard on a tense final day of the Tour Championship, and a second-place finish was good enough to secure the same spot in the Race To Dubai standings.

Thriston Lawrence

Perhaps the most consistent player on the DP World Tour this season. The South African, ranked 47th in the world, did not get into the winners’ circle, but he had five second-place finishes and came fourth at The Open.

Paul Waring

Waring, 39, has been something of a late bloomer, claiming his first win in six years – and only the second of his career – last week at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. That result propelled him towards the top of the Race To Dubai standings, and the Englishman sealed the deal with a solid finish in the Tour Championship, finishing in a tie for 16th.

Jesper Svensson

The Swede announced himself on the DP World Tour with victory at the Porsche Singapore Classic in March, and strong performances at the Czech Masters and British Masters boosted his challenge for a top-10 spot.

Niklas Norgaard

Victory at the British Masters in September saw the Dane, 32, fly up the rankings. He has reached a career-high of 89th in the OWGR thanks to seventh at Wentworth and tied 1oth at Yas Links last week.

Matteo Manassero

Once considered one of the greatest young talents in the sport alongside McIlroy, Manassero spent years in the wilderness. The Italian claimed his first European Tour win aged 17 in 2010 and he won three more times over the next three years, including the prestigious BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in 2013.

Thorbjorn Olesen

Another Scandinavian is heading to America, with Olesen’s 13th-place finish in the Race To Dubai good enough to earn his card. At 34, he is one of the more established players on this list, with eight DP World Tour titles including the Ras Al Khaimah Championship in January.