In the week leading up to the DP World Tour Championship, the names of the ten players who, thanks to their Race to Dubai rankings, have earned full memberships to the 2026 PGA Tour season have become official.
This is the third year in which the Strategic Alliance between the American and European Tours has resulted, among other things, in what is effectively a weakening of the field for next season's DP World Tour. I want to emphasize that this humble opinion of mine is shared by many whose opinions are far more authoritative than mine (Ed. Eddie Pepperell, among them).
DP, news
After three years, the effect is clear for all to see: the DP World Tour has become a feeder to the PGA.
ADVERTISEMENT
It's true that this increases the chances of emerging young pros on the major European Tour, but it also translates into a leveling of the field level, with the exception of the marquee tournaments, which, again according to the Alliance, are financially supported by the PGA.
Moreover, recent news suggests this status quo could change.
The first five-year period following the signing of the agreement expires in 2027, during which time the PGAcan decide to withdraw or renegotiate the terms of the Alliance. It appears that the Strategic Sports Group, the consortium that controls PGAEnterprises, is pushing for this, considering the growth in investment in the DP "a sore point" and having its primary objective being development within the United States.
It's obviously too early to imagine what scenarios would unfold in such a case, but it's safe to say that we would witness another major shakeup in the world of professional golf.
ADVERTISEMENT
That said, here are the names of the ten players flying overseas:
1. Marco Penge
2. Kristoffer Reitan
3. Adrien Saddier
4. John Parry
5. Alex Noren
6. Laurie Canter
7. Haotong Li
8. Daniel Brown
9. Keita Nakajima
10. Jordan Smith
The first documents attesting to the existence of rules of golf date back to March 1744. The rules were produced for a competition to be held at a Scottish golf club, and contained 13 points in total.[3] Initially, writing the rules was the responsibility of each individual club and so they varied depending on where the game was played.
