Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger leads the way with just a single event to play as Europe’s elite attempt to win the crown of Race to Dubai champion. Here’s a look at who can still claim the No 1 spot in the season-long rankings.
After 47 events, in 31 different countries, the eighth Rolex Series event of 2019 and the final tournament of the season – the DP World Tour Championship – will determine the winner.
Bernd Wiesberger – 4802.4 points
Wiesberger will win the Race to Dubai if he wins the DP World Tour Championship, or if he finishes in outright second place. He has three victories this season, including two Rolex Series triumphs in Italy and Scotland. The seven-time European Tour winner comes into the final week of the season with a commanding 723-point lead over Tommy Fleetwood, his nearest challenger.
Tommy Fleetwood – 4079.8 points
Arriving in the Middle East on cloud nine is England’s Fleetwood, who ended a 22-month wait for victory in South Africa last week.
The 28-year-old, who has shown his remarkable level of consistency by making his last 41 worldwide cuts, re-entered the winner’s circle by carding three final-round eagles before beating Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult in a playoff to win the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player. As a result of that outstanding triumph, Fleetwood is firmly in the hunt for a second Race to Dubai title – the 2017 champion also pushed last year’s Race to Dubai winner Francesco Molinari close before finishing in third place in the 2018 standings.
Fleetwood can win the Race to Dubai again, if:
· He wins this week and Wiesberger finishes lower than solo second.
· He finishes solo second, with Wiesberger finishing lower than tied third place with two others, and neither Rahm or Lowry winning the event.
· He finishes tied second with one other, with Wiesberger finishing lower than tied seventh place with one other, and neither Rahm, Lowry or Fitzpatrick winning the event.
· He finishes tied second with two others, with Wiesberger finishing lower than solo 15th place, and neither Rahm, Lowry or Fitzpatrick winning the event.
· He finishes tied second with three others, with Wiesberger finishing lower than solo 42nd place, and neither Rahm, Lowry or Fitzpatrick winning the event.
Not only is Rahm the only player to win three Rolex Series titles, but he has finished inside the top five in seven of his nine Rolex Series appearances. Add in the fact that he’s won once and claimed a share of fourth in his two starts at the Earth Course, and you can’t help but feel that the 25-year-old will be making a charge for a first Race to Dubai title this week.
Rahm will win the Race to Dubai if:
· He wins the DP World Tour Championship and Wiesberger finishes lower than solo second.
· He finishes solo second, with Wiesberger finishing worse than tied fifth place with one other, and neither Fleetwood, Lowry or Fitzpatrick winning the event.
· He finishes tied second with one other, with Wiesberger finishing worse than solo 21st, and neither Fleetwood, Lowry or Fitzpatrick winning the event.
A season-opening victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, the first Rolex Series event of the season, set the tone for a career year for the 32-year-old whose six-shot triumph in The Open at Royal Portrush will long live in the memory.
Lowry will win the Race to Dubai if:
· He wins the DP World Tour Championship and Wiesberger finishes lower than tied second with one other.
· He finishes solo second, with Wiesberger finishing worse than solo 19th, and neither Fleetwood, Rahm or Fitzpatrick winning the event.
With the slimmest odds of winning the Race to Dubai is Fitzpatrick. Although a sixth European Tour win has evaded the Englishman this season, he has still amassed four runner-up finishes to go into the season finale with an outside chance of overtaking Wiesberger.
For this to happen, the 25-year-old would have to win the DP World Tour Championship and would need Wiesberger to finish lower than tied fourth with one other, with Fleetwood finishing lower than solo second too.
