Race To Dubai Winners and History

Race To Dubai Winners and History

The Race To Dubai is a season-long competition on the European PGA Tour which culminates in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai (thus, the “Race to Dubai.”) The Race To Dubai replaced the European Tour’s longstanding Order of Merit rankings in 2009. In both cases, final standings are based on earnings in qualifying events during the season.

Earnings in the Race to Dubai are calculated in Euros.

The winner of the Race to Dubai receives a prize of $1.5 million, and a ten-year European Tour exemption. In addition, the winner is presented with the Harry Vardon Trophy. The Harry Vardon Trophy is a separate issue from the Vardon Trophy, which is awarded by the PGA of America to the PGA TOUR’s scoring average leader.

As currently construed, the Race to Dubai ends with a playoff system consisting of three tournaments: The Turkish Airlines Open, the Nedbank Golf Challenge and the finals in the DP World Tour Championship. The Turkish Airlines Open field consists of the top 70 available players from the Race to Dubai, three Turkish players, and five unrestricted tournament invitations. The Nedbank Golf Challenge Field consists of the top 64 available players from the current year Race to Dubai standings, the defending champion, the winner of the Sunshine Tour order of merit from previous year, and tournament invitations. Finally, the DP World Tour Championship field is comprised of the leading 60 players in the Race to Dubai at the start of the tournament.

From 1975 to 2008, the Race To Dubai was known as the Order of Merit. Rankings in the Order of Merit were based on either Euros (1999 – 2008) or on Pounds Sterling (1975 – 1998).

Prior to 1975, the Order of Merit was based on a points system. Under that system, points did not necessarily equate to earnings.

Colin Montgomerie holds the record for most Order of Merit/Race To Dubai titles, with eight. Seve Ballesteros won six. Among active players, Rory McIlroy has three.

A list of Race To Dubai Winners follows:

Race To Dubai Winners

Year	Race to Dubai leader	Country	Points
2018	Francesco Molinari	Italy	6,041,521
2017	Tommy Fleetwood	England	5,420,530
2016	Henrik Stenson (2/2)	Sweden	5,289,506
2015	Rory McIlroy (3/3)	Northern Ireland	4,727,253
2014	Rory McIlroy (2/3)	Northern Ireland	7,149,503
2013	Henrik Stenson (1/2)	Sweden	4,103,796
Year	Race to Dubai leader	Country	Earnings (€)
2012	Rory McIlroy (1/3)	Northern Ireland	5,519,118
2011	Luke Donald	England	5,323,400
2010	Martin Kaymer	Germany	4,461,011
2009	Lee Westwood (2/2)	England	4,237,762
Year	Order of Merit leader	Country	Earnings (€)
2008	Robert Karlsson	Sweden	2,732,748
2007	Justin Rose	England	2,944,945
2006	Pádraig Harrington	Ireland	2,489,337
2005	Colin Montgomerie (8/8)	Scotland	2,794,223
2004	Ernie Els (2/2)	South Africa	4,061,905
2003	Ernie Els (1/2)	South Africa	2,975,374
2002	Retief Goosen (2/2)	South Africa	2,360,128
2001	Retief Goosen (1/2)	South Africa	2,862,806
2000	Lee Westwood (1/2)	England	3,125,147
1999	Colin Montgomerie (7/8)	Scotland	1,822,880
Year	Order of Merit leader	Country	Earnings (£)
1998	Colin Montgomerie (6/8)	Scotland	993,077
1997	Colin Montgomerie (5/8)	Scotland	798,948
1996	Colin Montgomerie (4/8)	Scotland	875,146
1995	Colin Montgomerie (3/8)	Scotland	835,051
1994	Colin Montgomerie (2/8)	Scotland	762,720
1993	Colin Montgomerie (1/8)	Scotland	613,683
1992	Nick Faldo (2/2)	England	708,522
1991	Seve Ballesteros (6/6)	Spain	545,354
1990	Ian Woosnam (2/2)	Wales	574,166
1989	Ronan Rafferty	Northern Ireland	400,311
1988	Seve Ballesteros (5/6)	Spain	451,560
1987	Ian Woosnam (1/2)	Wales	253,717
1986	Seve Ballesteros (4/6)	Spain	242,209
1985	Sandy Lyle (3/3)	Scotland	162,553
1984	Bernhard Langer (2/2)	West Germany	139,344
Year	Official Money List leader	Country	Earnings (£)
1983	Nick Faldo (1/2)	England	119,416
1982	Greg Norman	Australia	66,406
1981	Bernhard Langer (1/2)	West Germany	81,036
1980	Sandy Lyle (2/3)	Scotland	6,6060
Year	Order of Merit leader	Country	Earnings (£)
1979	Sandy Lyle (1/3)	Scotland	49,233
1978	Seve Ballesteros (3/6)	Spain	54,348
1977	Seve Ballesteros (2/6)	Spain	46,436
1976	Seve Ballesteros (1/6)	Spain	39,504
1975	Dale Hayes	South Africa	20,508

Race To Dubai Winners, and Order of Merit Winners during the era in which the Order of Merit was tracked by earnings.

The list of Order of Merit winners below are during the points system era.

Order of Merit Winners

Year	Order of Merit leader	Country
1974	Peter Oosterhuis (4/4)	England
1973	Peter Oosterhuis (3/4)	England
1972	Peter Oosterhuis (2/4)	England
1971	Peter Oosterhuis (1/4)	England
1970	Neil Coles (2/2)	England
1969	Bernard Gallacher	Scotland
1968	Brian Huggett	Wales
1967	Malcolm Gregson	England
1966	Peter Alliss (2/2)	England
1965	Bernard Hunt (3/3)	England
1964	Peter Alliss (1/2)	England
1963	Neil Coles (1/2)	England
1962	Christy O'Connor (2/2)	Ireland
1961	Christy O'Connor (1/2)	Ireland
1960	Bernard Hunt (2/3)	England
1959	Dai Rees (2/2)	Wales
1958	Bernard Hunt (1/3)	England
1957	Eric Brown	Scotland
1956	Harry Weetman (2/2)	England
1955	Dai Rees (1/2)	Wales
1954	Bobby Locke (3/3)	South Africa
1953	Flory Van Donck	Belgium
1952	Harry Weetman (1/2)	England
1951	John Panton	Scotland
1950	Bobby Locke (2/3)	South Africa
1949	Charlie Ward (2/2)	England
1948	Charlie Ward (1/2)	England
1947	Norman Von Nida	Australia
1946	Bobby Locke (1/3)	South Africa
1940–45	No award
1939	Reg Whitcombe	England
1938	Henry Cotton	England
1937	Charles Whitcombe	England

A list of the order of Merit winners in the points system era.