DP World Tour Playoffs: Which LIV Golfers Can Qualify?

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 18 October 2024

It's not got quite the financial muscle of the FedEx Cup, but the season-ending DP World Tour Championship is still a big deal for those wanting to be crowned European No.1.

This year there's a two-tournament DP World Tour Play-Offs finale to the season, with the top 70 in the Race To Dubai standings following the Genesis Championship in South Korea advancing to the Abu Dhabi Championship.

Once the tournament is settled at Yas Links, the top 50 in the Race To Dubai then qualify for the closing DP World Tour Championship at the Earth Course in Dubai when the European No.1 will also be crowned.

LIV Golf players have largely been absent from the DP World Tour, but a few have made appearances through various methods - including the big Ryder Cup hopefuls Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.

The pair appealed against fines and suspensions for playing in LIV Golf in order to be able to play on the DP World Tour as they look to make Luke Donald's life a lot easier.

Rahm and Hatton made a late run to ensure they played their minimum of four events to remain eligible for next year's Ryder Cup in New York - and it also means they could qualify for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

Hatton's victory at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship catapulted him up into the top 20 in the Race To Dubai so he's sitting comfortably for the playoff events with just two tournaments to go before the cut-off for Abu Dhabi.

And thanks to performances earlier in the season, both Joaquin Niemann and Adrian Meronk and hanging around in the top 50 despite playing in just six and eight qualifying tournaments respectively.

Here's how the LIV golfers who could qualify for the DP World Tour Championship are shaping up, with their Race To Dubai ranking ahead of the Andalucia Masters in brackets.

Tyrrell Hatton (19)

Tyrrell Hatton talks to the media after winning the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

A top 10 at The Masters gave Hatton some early points and he returned to regular DP World Tour action at the British Masters at the start of September - finishing 18th.

He finished 10th at the Spanish Open before producing some brilliant golf to win a record third Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews.

That victory was a huge boost to his Ryder Cup hopes as it put Hatton into fifth in the early qualifying standings, but also lifted him to 16th in the Race To Dubai and sitting pretty for the playoff events.

Joaquin Niemann (30)

Joaquin Niemann takes a shot at LIV Golf Greenbrier

Joaquin Niemann also profited from a trip Down Under, but even more so than Meronk as the Chilean finished fifth at the Australian PGA before winning the Australian Open.

A fourth-placed finish at the Dubai Desert Classic added to his points tally and he's well inside the top 70 that would qualify for Abu Dhabi if he decides to take that up.

Niemann finished second to Rahm in the LIV Golf individual standings and won in Mexico after shooting 59, so would certainly be among the contenders if he lines up at Yas Links.

Adrian Meronk (34)

Poland's Adrian Meronk at the 2023 Dubai Desert Classic

Adrian Meronk was not in the field to defend his Andalucia Masters title but he remains inside the top 50 in the Race To Dubai thanks to his performances in four events at the start of the year.

He had a top 10 from one of the two events in Australia in November, but it was on his home turf in Dubai, where he now lives, where he prospered.

Meronk finished 10th at the Dubai Invitational before finishing second at the Dubai Desert Classic behind Rory McIlroy - with the Rolex Series event giving him a bumper points haul that will be enough to get him into the field for Abu Dhabi.

Jon Rahm (40)

Jon Rahm during a practice round for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Jon Rahm claimed the $18m bonus for winning the LIV Golf individual title in his debut season - more than enough money to buy diapers in time for the birth of his third child in September.

Once Rahm decided to follow Hatton and appeal his fines and suspensions, he was eligible to play in the Spanish Open - where he lost out in a playoff to Angel Hidalgo.

A seventh-placed finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links lifted Rahm up to 36 in the Race To Dubai rankings, so even a below-par effort at the Andalucia Masters shouldn't prevent him from making Abu Dhabi at least as part of the top 70.

He'll likely need a decent finish at Yas Links though to secure a top 50 spot for Dubai.

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Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.