The 2024 DP World Tour season is heading towards its conclusion, and while the Race To Dubai can only be won by a lone golfer, there is another particularly lucrative prize being hunted by 10 eligible competitors - a PGA Tour card for 2025.
Confirmed ahead of the 2023 season, the '10 Cards Initiative' was a byproduct of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour's strategic alliance which presented the leading decade of European-based players with the chance to earn playing rights in America for the following campaign.
Anyone who is not already exempt and finishes among the leading golfers on the Race To Dubai rankings can pick one up, helping them playing for significantly higher prize purses against many of the world's very best.
Matthieu Pavon and Robert MacIntyre were among the first beneficiaries of the scheme, with both going on to secure maiden PGA Tour titles in their full debut rookie campaign.
Pavon triumphed at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines while MacIntyre picked up two victories - the first arriving at the Canadian Open and the second being the co-sanctioned Scottish Open.
(From L to R) Dougie MacIntyre, Robert MacIntyre, and Shannon Hartley pose next to the RBC Canadian Open trophy
But for 2024, there is a new wave of eager pros who are jostling for position in not only the Race To Dubai, but also the race to the PGA Tour.
Currently leading the way in the '10 Cards Initiative' is South Africa's Thriston Lawrence, who sits in second in the Race To Dubai behind Rory McIlroy. Lawrence has four runner-up finishes this term but has, remarkably, not yet won an event. He did finish fourth after an excellent showing at the 152nd Open Championship, however.
Nevertheless, he has a gap of more than 200 points to Jesper Svensson behind him - the second man in line for a 2025 PGA Tour card as the third-placed golfer in the Race To Dubai. The Swede claimed victory at the Singapore Classic while also ending second at three other tournaments.
Sebastian Soderberg is fifth on the Race To Dubai - one place behind Adam Scott - after managing five top-five results without a win so far this term. The Swede missed out on a victory in extraordinary circumstances when LPGA Tour pro Linn Grant overcame an eight-shot deficit to beat him at the Scandinavian Mixed.
Recent British Masters champion Niklas Norgaard vaulted up the Race To Dubai rankings after his debut success, and he is narrowly ahead of Rikuya Hoshino on the list for a PGA Tour card, with the Japanese golfer having won the Qatar Masters back in February.
Thriston Lawrence leads the way in the 10 Cards Initiative standings
The remaining five players currently on track for a PGA Tour card all sit between 11th and 15th in the season-long race with only Tommy Fleetwood and Ludvig Aberg ahead of them otherwise.
In an extremely tight section of the rankings, Rasmus Hojgaard is currently sixth on the list for a PGA Tour card just 12 months after he brutally missed out by one place while his Ryder Cup-playing brother Nicolai made the step across to America. However, after another consistent season without a win so far, he is on track for retribution in 2024.
Romain Langasque is 12th in the Race To Dubai (sixth for a PGA Tour card) after having twice been a runner-up in 2024 and bagging a third place as well. And the Frenchman is just in front of Guido Migliozzi - who won the KLM Open in a three-man playoff back in June.
Matteo Manassero poses with the 2024 Jonsson Workwear Open trophy
Meanwhile, Matteo Manassero's rollercoaster career is set for its latest positive chapter if he can maintain his good form until late-November. Last season, the Italian was playing on the Challenge Tour. This year, he won the Jonsson Workwear Open. Next term, he could be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele.
Frederic Lacroix is in a similar position, having graduated from the Challenge Tour last term and gone on to win the Danish Golf Championship on the DP World Tour in 2024. The Frenchman holds the final PGA Tour card as it stands.
The next five closest eligible players to Lacroix include Laurie Canter, Tom McKibbin, Nacho Elvira, Ewen Ferguson, and Jordan Smith. The Englishman is just 43 points behind his French rival in the Race To Dubai rankings.
10 DP World Tour Players Set To Earn A 2025 PGA Tour Card
| 10 Card Initiative Spot | Player | Race To Dubai Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thriston Lawrence | 2nd |
| 2 | Jesper Svensson | 3rd |
| 3 | Sebastian Soderberg | 5th |
| 4 | Niklas Norgaard | 7th |
| 5 | Rikuya Hoshino | 8th |
| 6 | Rasmus Hojgaard | 11th |
| 7 | Romain Langasque | 12th |
| 8 | Guido Migliozzi | 13th |
| 9 | Matteo Manassero | 14th |
| 10 | Frederic Lacroix | 15th |
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