History of DP World Tour Championship in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: May 21, 2026

The DP World Tour Championship is a prominent golf tournament on the European Tour, serving as the culmination of the Race to Dubai. The event takes place at the Earth course, designed by Greg Norman, located at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. DP World, a Dubai-based company, is the title sponsor of the championship.

September 2009: Prize fund reduction

In September 2009, it was announced that the DP World Tour Championship's prize fund and winner's cheque would be reduced by 25% due to unspecified reasons. The initial record prize fund was set at US$10,000,000.

2009: First tournament held

In 2009, the DP World Tour Championship was first held, replacing the Order of Merit with the Race to Dubai. This tournament featured the top 50 players in the DP World Tour Rankings and succeeded the Volvo Masters.

2012: Prize fund increased

In 2012, the DP World Tour Championship saw its prize fund increased to US$8,000,000, marking a recovery from previous reductions.

2012: Bonus pool cut in half

In 2012, the Race to Dubai Bonus Pool was cut in half to US$3,750,000 and reduced to the top 10 golfers, with the winner getting US$1,000,000.

2013: Economic Benefit to Dubai

In 2013, the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates delivered a US$44 million gross economic benefit to Dubai, according to independent research commissioned by tournament organisers, The European Tour as stated in Vision magazine.

2013: Introduction of the Final Series

In 2013, the European Tour introduced the Final Series, consisting of four tournaments: the Turkish Airlines Open, WGC-HSBC Champions, BMW Masters, and the DP World Tour Championship.

2016: Reduction of the Final Series

In 2016, the Final Series was reduced to three tournaments with the removal of the WGC-HSBC Champions and BMW Masters, and the addition of the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

2017: Launch of the Rolex Series

In 2017, the Rolex Series was launched, featuring tournaments with higher prize funds than regular tour events, including the three Final Series tournaments.

2021: Collin Morikawa wins

In 2021, Collin Morikawa became the first American golfer to win the DP World Tour Championship, despite the event often featuring American golfers who primarily compete in the PGA Tour.

2021: Prize fund increase and new sponsorship

In 2021, the prize fund for the DP World Tour Championship was increased to US$9,000,000 when the European Tour announced a new title sponsorship with DP World Tour.