View From The Fairway by Derek Clements
And so the curtain comes down on yet another incredible DP World Tour season.
It started with Elvis Smylie winning in Australia almost 12 months ago and ended with Matt Fitzpatrick returning to his best form in sensational style by winning the DP World Tour Championship and Rory McIlroy being crowned Race to Dubai winner for the seventh time. He now trails Colin Montgomerie by one and will surely surpass the Scot.
It has been a year McIlroy will cherish for the rest of his life. He finally won The Masters to claim the career grand slam, joining some pretty illustrious company. And there was an emotional victory at the Irish Open.
There are many who see the tour as a feeder arm for the PGA Tour. To an extent that is true, but the 10 cards now on offer each year provide a proper incentive.
For me, the story of 2025 is Marco Penge. Last year he had to hole a five-foot putt to keep his card. He was then suspended for betting offences. It did not bode well.
However, against all the odds he went on to win three times and gave McIlroy a proper run for his money in the Race to Dubai and was incredibly unlucky to miss out on the Ryder Cup. He will now cross the Atlantic to try his luck. Penge is a big hitter and I am utterly convinced that the courses he will face are made for his game. He will be a success on the PGA Tour and the fans will love him. By this time next year I expect him to be in the top 20 in the world rankings.
I am almost as excited by the prospect of what Kristoffer Reitan may be able to achieve in America. He won the Soudal Open with a final round of 62 and very nearly claimed the Austrian Open the following week thanks to an incredible last 18 holes of 60. He was also second at the Hainan Classic, tied fourth at the BMW Open, tied third at the Nexo and tied fifth at both the French Open and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. All this after he won the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final in November 2024. Nothing is ever certain but it would be a huge surprise to me if the Norwegian fails to make an impact on the PGA Tour.
Of course there are no guarantees. Just ask Alex Noren and Thriston Lawrence. Neither man could hit a barn door in America. But Lawrence returned to Europe and promptly won the European Masters. Noren went one better, claiming the British Masters and then coming back to England to win the BMW PGA Championship for a second time. How does that happen?
Noren was one of Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup vice-captains. In truth, he should have been in the team.
Robert MacIntyre writes his own scripts and you would not believe them other than the fact that they are true.
You will recall that there was scarcely a dry eye in the house when he won the Scottish Open in 2024. The Scot simply loves playing on home soil and he was at it again in 2025, winning a weather-ruined Dunhill Links Championship.
MacIntyre is one of those whose play on the DP World Tour earned him his PGA Tour card. In his maiden season last year he won the Canadian Open. This year he came within touching distance of claiming the US Open. His story should provide inspiration to everybody who follows the same route.
Scottish golf is actually in a strong place. MacIntyre was one of four Scots to win in 2025 – the others were Calum Hill, Connor Syme and Grant Forrest. And Ewen Ferguson should have added to that list.
John Parry battled his way back to the tour after a spell in the wilderness and wasted no time in ensuring he would remain there by winning the Mauritius Open. Few would have predicted Parry’s success.
Laurie Canter is another who faced an uncertain future after being cut loose by LIV Golf. It looks like he is going to have the last laugh. Canter won the Bahrain Championship, one of a number of superb performances, and will be joining Penge and Reitan in America next year.
Every so often, a golfer comes from nowhere and enjoys a purple patch. This year it was American Chris Gotterup, who won the Scottish Open and then contended at The Open the following week, finishing third behind Scottie Scheffler.
Tyrrell Hatton kept us all entertained as only he can, winning the Dubai Desert Classic, finishing fifth at the BMW PGA Championship and second at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where he was looking for a fourth victory.
It was great to see the entertaining Chinese golfer Haotong Li winning again.
Keep your eye on Eugenio Chacarra, winner of the Hero Indian Open, and Turkish Airlines Open champion Martin Couvra. It is a safe bet that those wins are going to be the first of many.
And how could any summary of the DP World Tour season be complete without mention of Tommy Fleetwood? His victory at the Tour Championship seems to have taken the Englishman to a different level. He followed it with an inspirational performance at the Ryder Cup, where he picked up four points out of a possible five. He then won the India Championship from a world-class field and only lost the Abu Dhabi Championship in a playoff to Aaron Rai.
We also said farewell to some stalwarts, with Nicolas Colsaerts and Mike Lorenzo Vera hanging up their clubs for good.
The Masters won by a European, the Ryder Cup won by Europe on American soil, a host of potentially world-class European golfers emerging and established stars proving they remain as good as ever. It’s not been a bad season, has it?
Derek Clements is a seasoned sports journalist and regular Golfshake contributor, specialising in tour coverage, opinion pieces, and feature writing. With a long career in national newspapers and golf media, he has reported on the game across Europe, the United States and Australia. A passionate golfer, he has played and reviewed numerous renowned courses, with personal favourites including Pebble Beach, Kingsbarns, Aldeburgh, Old Thorns and the K Club. His love of the game informs his thoughtful commentary on both professional golf and the wider golfing community.
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