dp world tour elephants

Golfers stop to watch elephants during DP World Tour event

The sight of elephants in the wild is always a truly amazing experience. Now imagine seeing them during a round of golf.

Last week’s Alfred Dunhill Championship was held at Leopard Creek Country Club which overlooks Kruger National Park. Occasionally, some of the wildlife are nearby and when one of the big five makes an appearance, it makes for a spectacular sight.

A herd of elephants arrived at the edge of the water separating the park from the golf course – and naturally, it brought the golf to a standstill.

If there ever was an excuse for slow play, this might be it.

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Van Driel claims maiden win on DP World Tour at Kenya Open

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10 Things You Didn't Know About The DP World Tour

Here are 10 things you may not be familiar with about the Europe-based circuit

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The DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) is one of the most well-regarded and established circuits in the game, with some of the best-known tournaments around, including the Dubai Desert Classic and its flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship.

While it doesn't boast the same status as the US-based PGA Tour, it still forms an integral part of the game's professional landscape. Here are some facts about the Tour that you may not be familiar with.

1. The roots of the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) go back to 1972, when the Professional Golfers' Association, which was established 71 years earlier to serve the interests of golfers in Great Britain and Ireland, created it.

2. It began with 20 tournaments and the season ran from April to October. The action took place in nine countries – Spain, England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Switzerland, West Germany, the Netherlands and Italy.

3. The inaugural European Tour event was the Spanish Open, which was held at Golf Club de Pals in Girona. Fittingly, two Spaniards battled it out for the title in a playoff, with Antonio Garrido emerging the winner over Valentin Barrios. The purse for the tournament was £10,000.

4. Nowadays, DP World Tour events take place around the world, but it was strictly a Europe-only affair for the first decade of its existence. That changed in 1982 with the first tournament to be played outside the continent – the Tunisian Open in Africa. Garrido once again claimed the title after beating compatriot Manuel Calero in a playoff.

5. The DP World Tour’s headquarters are at Wentworth in Surrey, England. From there, the PGA European Tour, to give it its legal title, also runs the European Senior Tour (currently the Legends Tour), the developmental Challenge Tour and G4D Tour. It is also the lead partner in Ryder Cup Europe.

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The DP World Tour's headquarters are at Wentworth

6. Some of the highest-profile DP World Tour events take place in Asia, but it wasn’t until 1989 that the continent hosted one of its events with the inaugural Dubai Desert Classic (then called the Karl Litten Desert Classic). The tournament was won by Mark James, who beat Peter O’Malley by four shots to claim the $75,000 first prize.

7. In 2015, including Majors and World Golf Championships, more of the DP World Tour’s tournaments were held outside Europe than within it for the first time.

8. In 1998, The Masters, PGA Championship and US Open were added to the schedule, meaning prize money earned by players in the Majors could be added to the European Tour’s Order of Merit, which affected the end-of-season rankings. Not only that, but with a minimum requirement of 11 appearances needed for players to retain membership of the Tour, the addition of the Majors – along with three World Golf Championships in 1990 – made it easier for players to reach that target.

9. Seve Ballesteros holds the record for the highest number of DP World Tour wins with 50, eight more than Bernhard Langer in second place. Ballesteros’ first win on the Tour came in the 1976 Dutch Open, with the last in his homeland at the 1995 Spanish Open.

Seve Ballesteros holds the record for most European Tour wins, with the last of 50 coming in the 1995 Spanish Open

10. The total prize money for the inaugural season of the Tour (excluding Majors) was £290,500. Adjusted for inflation, that would be £3.3m today (around $4m). In 2024, the prize fund will be $148.5m (approximately £121.5m).

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He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

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There are a host of well-known players heading home early after a disappointing two days at the Valhalla Major – here are some of the biggest names to miss the cut

By Mike Hall Published 18 May 24

Zalatoris revealed to The Athletic that there were talks of players going to The PGA of America following the tragic news of a PGA worker passing away

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Payday in Dubai

Here's the prize money payout for each golfer at the 2023 DP World Tour Championship

Rory McIlroy and Nicolai Hojgaard walked away the big winners from this week's DP World Tour Championship. McIlroy won the overall points title for the fifth time while Hojgaard was the winner of the Tour Championship with a 21-under total.

David Cannon

An already memorable 2023 season on the DP World Tour for Nicolai Hojgaard—in which he played in his first Ryder Cup—got even more so on Sunday at the DP World Tour Championship. The 22-year-old Dane closed out the final round at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai with a eight-under 64 to charge past overnight leader Matt Wallace and claim victory with a 21-under 267 performance, two shots better than Wallace, Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland.

Hojgaard’s victory is the third of his career on the DP World Tour but his most lucrative. The first-place prize money payout was worth $3 million from an overall purse of $10.5 million. The payday from Sunday (€2,764,461 in Euros) amounts to more than 40 percent his entire career earnings to date on the DP World Tour (€6,380,134.75).

Here's the prize money payout for each golfer who competed in the DP World Tour’s season finale.

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Win: Nicolai HØJGAARD, -21, $3,000,000

T-2: Viktor HOVLAND, -19, $910,000

T-2: Tommy FLEETWOOD, -19, $910,000

T-2: Matt WALLACE, -19, $910,000

T-5: Thriston LAWRENCE, -17, $340,000

T-5: Jon RAHM, -17, $340,000

T-5: Matthieu PAVON, -17, $340,000

8: Victor PEREZ, -16, $240,000

T-9: Ewen FERGUSON, -15, $200,000

T-9: Jeff WINTHER, -15, $200,000

T-11: Tyrrell HATTON, -14, $153,000

T-11: Romain LANGASQUE, -14, $153,000

T-11: Antoine ROZNER, -14, $153,000

T-11: Rasmus HØJGAARD, -14, $153,000

T-15: Tom KIM, -13, $117,750

T-15: Min Woo LEE, -13, $117,750

17: Dan BRADBURY, -12, $110,000

T-18: Adrian OTAEGUI, -11, $99,000

T-18: Shane LOWRY, -11, $ 99,000

T-18: Ryo HISATSUNE, -11, $99,000

T-18: Robert MACINTYRE, -11, $99,000

T-22: Sepp STRAKA, -10, $86,625

T-22: Zander LOMBARD, -10, $86,625

T-22: Rory MCILROY, -10, $86,625

T-22: Julien GUERRIER, -10, $86,625

26: Thorbjørn OLESEN, -9, $80,000

T-27: Grant FORREST, -8, $72,600

T-27: Vincent NORRMAN, -8, $72,600

T-27: Yannik PAUL, -8, $72,600

T-27: Matt FITZPATRICK, -8, $72,600

T-27: Jens DANTORP, -8, $72,600

T-32: Adrian MERONK, -7, $65,000

T-32: Tom MCKIBBIN, -7, $65,000

T-34: Pablo LARRAZÁBAL, -6, $61,000

T-34: Ryan FOX, -6, $61,000

T-36: Nathan KIMSEY, -5, $57,000

T-36: Alexander BJÖRK, -5, $57,000

T-38: Daniel HILLIER, -4, $52,000

T-38: Lucas HERBERT, -4, $52,000

T-38: Sami VÄLIMÄKI, -4, $52,000

T-41: Sebastian SÖDERBERG, -3, $48,500

T-41: Connor SYME, -3, $48,500

T-43: Jorge CAMPILLO, -2, $46,500

T-43: Julien BRUN, -2, $46,500

T-45: Daniel BROWN, -1, $44,500

T-45: Marcel SIEM, -1, $44,500

47: Jordan SMITH, E, $43,000

48: Joost LUITEN, +3, $42,000

49: Matthew SOUTHGATE, +4, $41,000

50: Nacho ELVIRA, +6, $40,000

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PGA Tour a “lonely place” compared to European circuit, per DP World Tour pro

T hanks to his superb play on the DP World Tour a season ago, which included a runner-up finish to Rory McIlroy at the Genesis Scottish Open , Robert MacIntyre earned PGA Tour membership for the 2024 season.

But playing on the PGA Tour has not been the best experience for MacIntyre, compared to the comfortable confines of the DP World Tour.

“It’s completely different,” MacIntyre explained to Bunkered , a Scottish golf publication.

“When you’re on the DP World Tour, it’s very friendly. Everyone is together. We’re all traveling the world. If we’re struggling with certain things, we speak to folk around us.”

So far this season, MacIntyre, who played in his first Ryder Cup in 2023 and did not lose a match, has only two top-10 finishes to his name. He tied for sixth at the Mexico Open and eighth at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

But he missed the cut at The Players Championship and did not qualify for The Masters . He also has not met the criteria to play in any Signature Event so far this season. Instead, he tied for 32nd at the Puerto Rico Open, held when Scottie Scheffler triumphed at Bay Hill.

MacIntyre will also play at the Myrtle Beach Classic this week, not the Wells Fargo Championship , which bodes an elite 69-player field.

“You come out here to the PGA Tour, and it’s all so unfamiliar,” added MacIntyre.

“There’s less chatting. There’s less dinners. There’s just less of that big family feel that you get on the European Tour.”

The European Ryder Cup team specifically prides itself on team camaraderie and chemistry. By extension, those principles spread the DP World Tour, where the top European players rise through the ranks.

“Sitting in player dining, you do it in Europe and you’ve got all the Scottish boys, you’ve got all the British boys,” MacIntyre added.

“A lot of the European guys, if you’re sitting on your own, they will come and join you... Out [on the PGA Tour], because you don’t know many folks, you don’t know them in that same kind of depth, they don’t come to sit with you. It does become a lonely place on the golf side of it.”

The golf courses are obviously different, too.

“It is what it is. You’ve got to get on with it. There are a lot of other things. New golf courses,” MacIntyre explained.

“Over here, they are pretty much all new, and then you’ve got the different grasses. Obviously, I was not brought up playing a lot of Bermuda, grainy grass, pitching, putting. It’s just completely different. But it’s a learning curve.”

Hopefully, MacIntyre’s experience of playing golf in the United States will improve as time passes. But for now, the Scotsman continues to struggle to grow accustomed to the difficulties of American professional golf—something that numerous European players have toiled with before and likely will do so in the future.

Yet, the Scotsman knows that plenty of opportunity awaits within the 50 states.

“It’s a great place to play golf. It’s obviously where the best players in the world are. It’s where you can make more money,” MacIntyre said.

“It’s a different environment for me, but I’m just trying to enjoy it as much as I can and learn as much as I can, week in and week out.”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

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DP World Tour 2023 schedule: Confirmed tournaments, dates, venues and Rolex Series events

Two events will be co-sanctioned with the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia and six tournaments with the Sunshine Tour; new season begins on November 24 and runs until the DP World Tour Championship the following November

Tuesday 22 August 2023 16:48, UK

The schedule for the 2023 DP World Tour season has been announced, with a minimum of 39 tournaments in 26 countries as part of a bumper calendar.

DP World Tour members will compete for an overall prize fund of $144.2m across events outside the majors and WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, with new tournaments added to an already global schedule.

A new tournament in Japan and a return to Korea for the first time since 2013 are among the changes to the calendar, while the Italian Open moves to May and the Irish Open will take place in September.

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A three-week summer break has been included in the schedule after The Open in July, following player feedback, while the names and venues of several tournaments are set to be announced in the coming months.

The campaign begins on November 24 with events in Australia and South Africa, less than 96 hours after the conclusion of the 2022 season, with the 12-month calendar running through until the DP World Tour Championship in November 2023.

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Full 2023 DP World Tour schedule (as announced on November 3):

*Denotes Rolex Series events

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DP World Tour: Every winner in 2022

24-27 - Joburg Open - Houghton GC, Johannesburg, South Africa

24-27 - Fortinet Australian PGA Championship - Royal Queensland GC, Brisbane, Australia

Live DP World Tour Golf

1-4 - Investec South African Open Championship - Blair Atholl Golf & Equestrian Estate, Lanseria, Johannesburg, South Africa

1-4 - ISPS Handa Australian Open - Victoria GC, Melbourne and Kingston Heath GC, Melbourne

8-11 - Alfred Dunhill Championship - Leopard Creek CC, Malelane, South Africa

15-18 - AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open - Mont Choisy Le Golf, Grand Baie, Mauritius

January 2023

13-15 - Hero Cup - Abu Dhabi GC, Abu Dhabi, UAE

19-22 - Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship - Yas Links Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE*

26-29 - Dubai Desert Classic - Emirates GC, Dubai, UAE*

2-5 - Ras Al Khaimah Classic - Al Hamra GC, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE

9-12 - Singapore Open - Laguna National Golf Resort Club, Singapore, Singapore

16-19 - Thailand Classic - Amata Spring CC, Chon Buri, Bangkok, Thailand

23-26 - Hero Indian Open - Venue TBC

9-12 - Magical Kenya Open - Muthaiga GC, Nairobi, Kenya

16-19 - South African event confirmed - venue TBC

22-26 - WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play - Austin CC, Austin, Texas, USA

23-26 - Jonsson Workwear Open - The Club at Steyn City, Johannesburg, South Africa

6-9 - The Masters - Augusta National GC, Augusta, Georgia, USA

20-23 - ISPS Handa Championship - PGM Ishioka GC, Omitama, Japan

27-30 - Korean event confirmed - venue TBC

4-7 - Italian Open - Marco Simone GC, Rome, Italy

11-14 - Soudal Open - Rinkven International GC, Antwerp, Belgium

18-21 - PGA Championship - Oak Hill CC, Rochester, New York, USA

25-28 - Dutch Open - Bernardus Golf, Cromvoirt, Netherlands

1-4 - Porsche European Open - Green Eagle Golf Courses, Hamburg, Germany

8-11 - Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed - Ullna G&CC, Stockholm, Sweden

15-18 - US Open - The Los Angeles CC, Los Angeles, USA

22-25 - BMW International Open - Golfclub München Eichenried, Munich, Germany

29-July 2 - Betfred British Masters - The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, England

6-9 - Made in HimmerLand - HimmerLand, Farsø, Denmark

13-16 - Genesis Scottish Open - The Renaissance Club, North Berwick, Scotland*

13-16 - Barbasol Championship - Keene Trace GC, Nicholasville, KY, USA

20-23 - The 151st Open - Royal Liverpool GC, Hoylake, England

20-23 - Barracuda Championship - Tahoe Mt. Club, Truckee, California, USA

17-20 - ISPS Handa World Invitational presented by AVIV Clinics - Galgorm Castle, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland

24-27 - D+D Real Czech Masters - Albatross Golf Resort, Prague, Czech Republic

31-September 3 - Omega European Masters - Crans-sur-Sierre GC, Crans Montana, Switzerland

7-10 - Horizon Irish Open - The K Club, Straffan, Co. Kildare, Ireland

14-17 - BMW PGA Championship - Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey, England*

21-24 - Cazoo Open de France - Le Golf National, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France

29-October 1 - Ryder Cup - Marco Simone GC, Rome, Italy

5-8 - Alfred Dunhill Links Championship - Old Course St. Andrews, Carnoustie Golf Links and Kingsbarns Golf Links, Scotland

12-15 - Acciona Open de España presented by Madrid - Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

9-12 - Nedbank Golf Challenge - Gary Player CC, Sun City, South Africa

16-19 - DP World Tour Championship - Jumeirah Golf Estates, Earth Course, Dubai, UAE*

Watch the 2023 DP World Tour season - including the Ryder Cup - live on Sky Sports!

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US PGA Championship 2024: Fantasy DP World Tour ones to watch

All eyes are on Valhalla this week for the US PGA Championship. But who are you picking in your team on the DP World Tour's official Fantasy game for the second men's Major of the year?

The 106th  US PGA Championship  returns to Valhalla Golf Club this week for the second men’s Major Championship of the season, marking the fourth time Valhalla has played host, tied for second most in the history of the event.

Last year, it was Brooks Koepka who claimed his third US PGA Championship title with a two-shot victory over Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler at Oak Hill Country Club. In doing so, he became the sixth player to win the championship on three or more occasions - joining Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus (five), Tiger Woods (four), Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead (three).

He returns in form and with a recent victory under his belt, but he'll have stiff competition in his title defence, going up against an in form Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, who both have back-to-back wins heading into this week.

The last time the tournament was played at Valhalla it was McIlroy who took home the trophy, and ten years on from that triumph he'll be hoping to replicate that as he goes in search of a fifth Major title. Meanwhile, World Number One Scottie Scheffler will be looking to continue his dominance after winning The Masters last month.

Elsewhere, Jordan Spieth has a chance to complete the Grand Slam with victory this week, while several DP World Tour stars head across the pond looking to impress - including Asian Swing winner Sebastian Soderberg. So who should feature in your Fantasy Team this week? We've selected our Favourite, our Form Horse and our Wildcard to help you with that choice!

To play Fantasy DP World Tour, click here .

If you have not done so already, you can sign up to play the official 2024 DP World Tour Fantasy game and submit your six-man team before the first round gets under way on Thursday: https://fantasy.dpworldtour.com/

The 2024 season-long winner will win a trip to the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai next year, enjoy a lesson with a DP World Tour professional and a round of golf on the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates. For more information on this amazing prize and others, read here .

Fantasy Insight: As it stands, World Number One Scottie Scheffler is the favourite for players of our _ Fantasy Game this week , featuring in 84.52% of teams. _Only two other players have been picked by more than 50% of users, with Ludvig Aberg in 69% of teams and four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy in 65.35%.

Favourite - Scottie Scheffler

The World Number One is unquestionably the favourite to earn a second leg of the Grand Slam this week, and arrives to the Louisville venue having just become a new dad to son Bennett with his wife Meredith.

Scheffler, who is a four-time winner already this year, comes to the second Major of the year with back-to-back victories to his name. Having earned his second Green Jacket with a second Major win at The Masters in April, Scheffler followed up with another immediately triumph at the RBC Heritage.

The American hasn't finished worse than T17 in 2024, and leads the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained Total, Tee To Green, Approach the Green and Around the Green. The only question mark around Scottie is his consistency on the greens - currently ranked 97th on Tour in that category - but with multiple wins already under his belt, that hasn't been a detrimental factor!

Form horse - Rory McIlroy

The Northern Irishman returns to the scene of his 2014 PGA Championship triumph at Valhalla this week as he goes in search of his first Major since he claimed that title here ten years ago.

He arrives in Kentucky in exceptional form with two consecutive wins to his name, having claimed both the Zurich Class with Shane Lowry two weeks ago and last week's Wells Fargo Championship.

With top tens in seven of his last nine Major championships - including his last two PGA Championships - McIlroy himself said it feels like the stars are somewhat aligning when it comes to his chances this week. And it helps that this is a venue where he's had success.

“Going to a venue next week where I have won, it feels like the stars are aligning a little bit," he said.

"But I have a lot of golf to play and a lot of great players to try to beat. I am going into the next Major of the year feeling really good about myself.”

Wildcard - Sebastian Soderberg

Sebastian Söderberg may have seen victory slip away at the Volvo China Open but a third successive top-five finish meant he topped the Asian Swing Rankings to earn a spot in his first Major since the 2022 U.S. Open Championship.

The Swede is on a hot streak, and while this might be his first Major in two years and his US PGA Championship debut, there's no doubt that his form is one of the best leading into this event. In his last three starts on the DP World Tour, Soderberg had back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Hero Indian Open and ISPS HANDA-Championship, before his recent tie for third at the Volvo China Open.

Having not missed a cut since July last year, Soderberg also ranks first on the DP World Tour for Stroke Average, Total Strokes Gained, Birdies and Par three scoring, second for Strokes Gained Putting, and fourth for both Strokes Gained Approach and Strokes Gained Tee to Green.

And while he hasn't been in the winner's circle since the 2019 Omega European Masters, he's certainly got the form to do something special this week.

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