Three DP World Tour stars claim PGA Tour cards

“I was quite happy living in Dubai to be honest with you,” Paul Waring joked after claiming the biggest win of his life on Sunday.

The 39-year-old from the Wirral had just edged out Rory McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton and co. to win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links.

But this result in the first of the DP World Tour’s playoff events in the Middle East was not just about the trophy or the huge winner’s cheque.

As part of the DP World Tour’s Strategic Alliance with the PGA Tour, the top 10 players in the season-long ranking who don’t already have membership on the American circuit will gain full access in 2025.

And Waring, who has gone from 48th to 5th in the Race to Dubai rankings, has suddenly now assured his place on the PGA Tour. Rory McIlroy and Billy Horschel are ahead of him but are already PGA Tour members, meaning Waring is third in the race and won’t be caught.

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It may have seemed inconceivable at the start of the week, but this means that Waring will now be travelling Stateside from his home in the Middle East to make his mark on the PGA Tour in 2025.

And Waring isn’t the only one to have wrapped up his PGA Tour card before next week’s season finale, the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

Thriston Lawrence and Rasmus Hojgaard will also be crossing the Atlantic with full status on the PGA Tour next season.

South Africa’s Lawrence is the only man who can still stop Rory McIlroy from winning a sixth Race to Dubai order of merit title this week. He is second in the standings, but needs to win the final playoff event at Jumeirah Golf Estates and hope McIlroy finishes outside of the top ten to top the season-long standings.

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Hojgaard, meanwhile, agonisingly missed out on his PGA Tour card through this initiative last season but has secured his membership without stress this time around after his big victory over McIlroy in September’s Irish Open.

It means there are seven more PGA Tour cards up for grabs this week in Dubai. Niklas Norgaard, Matteo Manassero and Jesper Svensson are also well placed to win playing rights in America.

To see the full list of players in line for a PGA Tour card, click here.

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.