The DP World Tour Championship has been the finale of the circuit’s season since 2009, when the Race to Dubai replaced the Order of Merit.
Every edition of the event has been held at the Earth Course at Dubai’s Jumeirah Golf Estates.
In the first year, it was known as the Dubai World Championship, and Lee Westwood claimed $1.66m from the $7.5m purse after his victory over fellow Englishman Ross McGowan, before Robert Karlsson became the first Swede to lift the trophy with a playoff victory over Ian Poulter in 2010.
A year later, Spaniard Alvaro Quiroz beat 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie by two. Other one-time winners of the event are Danny Willett, who claimed the title in 2018, Collin Morikawa, who won in 2021 and 2023 winner Nicolai Hojgaard.
However, four players have multiple DP World Tour Championship wins. In 2012, Rory McIlroy beat Justin Rose by two shots for his maiden DP World Tour Championship title, while also claiming his first Race to Dubai title. Three years later, he made that two titles when he beat Andy Sullivan by one. That year, he also claimed the Race to Dubai title for the third time having also won it in 2014.
In between McIlroy’s brace of DP World Tour Championship titles, Henrik Stenson claimed back-to-back victories, in 2013 and 2014. On the second occasion, McIlroy was also strongly in the running for victory, before falling two shots short.
Matt Fitzpatrick then tasted victory for the first time in 2016 after finishing one ahead of Tyrrell Hatton. Four years later, he denied Westwood his second title by one shot to win again, although that year, Westwood had the considerable consolation of the Race to Dubai title.
Jon Rahm claimed the title for the first time just a year after turning professional, at the 2017 event, when he beat Kiradech Aphibarnrat by one, and two years later, he did it again. On that occasion, Tommy Fleetwood was the player who got closest to the Spaniard, but missed out by one, and it also sealed Rahm’s maiden Race to Dubai title.
Three years later, Rahm completed his DP World Tour Championship hat-trick when he beat future Legion XIII teammate Hatton and Swedish player Alex Noren by two shots to give him the honor or having won the title more than anyone.
It lasted for just two years. That's because Rory McIlroy won the title in 2024 to draw him level with Rahm with three wins meaning that, for another year at least, the two will share the honor as the players with the most DP World Tour Championship victories.
DP World Tour Championship Winners
- 2009: Lee Westwood
- 2010: Robert Karlsson
- 2011: Alvaro Quiroz
- 2012: Rory McIlroy (1)
- 2013: Henrik Stenson (1)
- 2014: Henrik Stenson (2)
- 2015: Rory McIlroy (2)
- 2016: Matt Fitzpatrick (2)
- 2017: Jon Rahm (1)
- 2018: Danny Willett
- 2019: Jon Rahm (2)
- 2020: Matt Fitzpatrick (2)
- 2021: Collin Morikawa
- 2022: Jon Rahm (3)
- 2023: Nicolai Hojgaard
- 2024: Rory McIlroy (3)
