History of DP World Tour Championship in Timeline

The DP World Tour Championship is a prestigious golf tournament that serves as the finale of the European Tour's Race to Dubai. The event is held at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, specifically on the Earth course designed by Greg Norman. DP World, a Dubai-based company, is the title sponsor of the tournament.

September 2009: Prize fund reduced

In September 2009, it was announced that there would be a 25% reduction in both the overall prize fund and the winners cheque for the DP World Tour Championship.

2009: First DP World Tour Championship

In 2009, the DP World Tour Championship was first held, replacing the Order of Merit with the Race to Dubai. The tournament was contested by the leading 50 players in the DP World Tour Rankings and replaced the Volvo Masters.

2012: Race to Dubai 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.

2012: Prize fund increased

In 2012, the prize fund for the DP World Tour Championship was increased to US$8,000,000.

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: European Tour Introduces Final Series

In 2013, the European Tour introduced the Final Series, a four tournament end of season series consisting of the Turkish Airlines Open, WGC-HSBC Champions, BMW Masters, and culminating in the DP World Tour Championship.

2016: Final Series Reduced to Three Tournaments

In 2016, the European Tour 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: Rolex Series Launched

In 2017, the Rolex Series was launched. It is a series of tournaments with higher prize funds than regular tour events and included the three Final Series tournaments.

2021: Collin Morikawa wins DP World Tour Championship

In 2021, Collin Morikawa became the first American golfer to win the DP World Tour Championship.

2021: Prize fund increased again

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

2022: Rolex Series in UAE

In 2022, there were five Rolex Series tournaments, three of which were in the United Arab Emirates.

2024: Rahm and McIlroy share record for most wins

As of the end of the 2024 season, Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy share the record for the most wins in the DP World Tour Championship, with three wins each.