Countdown to the 2026 Dunhill Links: The Glory of the DP World Tour
The Glory of the DP World Tour
Two weeks ago Joe Dean lifted a trophy on the Brabazon Course at The Belfry
Last week Thriston Lawrence lifted the trophy at Crans Sur Sierre in the Swiss Alps
On Sunday Shane Lowry lifted a trophy at Trump International Golf Links, Doonbeg on the Wild Atlantic Way of Ireland
Next Sunday someone will lift a trophy on the West Course at Wentworth in Surrey
In a fortnight someone will lift the trophy at the oldest national Open on the continental mainland of Europe, at Le Golf National
And, in three week's time someone will lift the trophy on the Old Course at St Andrews
Iconic, historic, cultural and part of the fabric of this sport. Courses with stunning beauty, remarkable variety and the sites of victories by some of golf's greatest ever players
The DP World Tour's second phase of the 2026 season is well underway, and with the PGA TOUR's premier season finished, the tour is set to attract many of the world's best golfers to play in its tournaments over the course of the next four months. 16 tournaments across 17 weeks will conclude the 2026 Race to Dubai, and launch the 2027 DP World Tour season, with the tour taking in some of the sport's oldest national Opens, prestigious professional championships and playing on some of the greatest courses in world golf.
The Husqvarna British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo was played on the iconic Brabazon Course at The Belfry, which has been home to some of European golf's greatest moments including the 1985, 1989, 1993 and 2002 Ryder Cups. The course has also been home to some other great golfing moments including Seve Ballesteros driving the 10th green at the 1978 Hennessy Cognac Cup, the first ever tournament staged at The Belfry, five editions of the English Classic, four editions of the English Open, four editions of the Benson and Hedges International Open, and now nine editions of the British Masters.
The British Masters itself is one of the most historic tournaments in British golf, first played in 1946 as the Dunlop Masters as a continuation of the former Dunlop Metropolitan Tournament, which was played from 1934 to 1938. The British Masters saw the first televised hole-in-one, when Tony Jacklin made an ace at the 16th hole at Royal St George's in 1967, and the tournament has been won by almost all of Britain and Europe's greatest golfers including Tony Jacklin, Bernard Gallacher, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Seve Ballesteros, Sandy Lyle, Mark James, Sir Nick Faldo, Sam Torrance, Colin Montgomerie, Justin Rose, Thomas Bjorn, Lee Westwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Alex Noren. Many great global players also won the title including Peter Thomson, Bob Charles, Bobby Locke, Lee Trevino, and Greg Norman, and in recent years it has evolved to become a tournament that emerging players have contended.
The OMEGA European Masters was played at arguably the world's most spectacular golf course, Crans Sur Sierre in Crans Montana, set in the Swiss Alps, and was redesigned by golfing icon Seve Ballesteros. Seve himself had an incredible history in the Mountains, winning three times and playing one of the greatest shots ever seen from behind a wall on the 18th hole during the 1993 tournament. His recovery came up short of the green and he chipped in for a remarkable birdie, but lost in the playoff.
First played in 1923 as the Swiss Open, the tournament moved to Crans Montana in 1939 and has been played every year since 1948 in the Mountains, except for 2020 when it was cancelled due to the Covid19 Pandemic. The tournament became the European Masters in 1983, but still carried the Swiss Open tag until 1991, and could be considered as one of Europe's great National Opens, being played on 92 occasions over the last 103 years. Alec Ross, Flory Van Donck, Bobby Locke, Dai Rees, Kel Nagle, Bob Charles, Graham Marsh, Dale Hayes, Manuel Pinero, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Price, Ian Woosnam, Nick Faldo, Craig Stadler, Jose Maria Olazabal, Ronan Rafferty, Eduardo Romero, Colin Montgomerie, Costantino Rocca, Lee Westwood, Robert Karlsson, Ernie Els, Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Alex Noren, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Thomas Bjorn, Danny Willett, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Ludvig Aberg are among the incredible roll of honour.
The Amgen Irish Open is one of Europe's premier National Opens, and visits the best links and inland courses across the country including magnificent Irish parkland courses at the K Club, Adare Manor, Mount Juliet, Galgorm, Fota Island, Carton House, Druids Glen, and Killarney. Many of Ireland's great links have also hosted the Irish Open, including Royal Portrush, Royal County Down, Royal Dublin, Portmarnock, Ballyliffin, County Louth, Portstewart, Lahinch and Ballybunion, and this week the championship is being played at Trump International Links at Doonbeg.
The Irish Open has had an up and down history in terms of sponsorship and playing fields, but enjoyed a renaissance in the 1980's and in recent years it has attracted many of the world's best. George Duncan, Abe Mitchell, Alf Padgham, Bobby Locke, Fred Daly, Harry Bradshaw, Christy O'Connor Jr, Ben Crenshaw, Hubert Green, Ken Brown, Mark James, Sam Torrance, John O'Leary, Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Jose Maria Olazabal, Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, Sergio Garcia, Michael Campbell, Thomas Bjorn, Padraig Harrington, Shane Lowry, Paul Casey, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Rasmus Hojgaard have been winners among a remarkable roll of honour.
The BMW PGA Championship is the flagship tournament of the DP World Tour, and is played at the home of the tour, Wentworth. The West Course is one of the greatest courses in the world, and has a tournament history unlike almost any course in the world outside of Augusta National and the Old Course. The West Course has hosted the 1927 Daily Mail Tournament, 1952, 1953, 1956-1970 DAKS Tournament, 1953 Ryder Cup, 1956 World Cup of Golf, the 1964-2007 World Match Play Championship, the 1951 and 1962 British Masters, 1936, 1937 and 1938 Dunlop Metropolitan Tournament, 1929 News of the World British PGA Match play Championship, 1964, 1979, 1980, and 1981 Martini International, and 1972-74 and 1984-2026 BMW PGA Championship.
Abe Mitchell, Alf Perry, Henry Cotton, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Max Faulkner, Dai Rees, Fred Daly, Bobby Locke, Christy O'Connor Sr, Peter Thomson, Bernard Hunt, Peter Alliss, Neil Coles, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Bob Charles, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf, Hale Irwin, Tony Jacklin, Peter Oosterhuis, David Graham, Graham Marsh, Isao Aoki, Bill Rogers, Greg Norman, Sandy Lyle, Corey Pavin, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Howard Clark, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal, Costantino Rocca, Colin Montgomerie, Mark O'Meara, Lee Westwood, Michael Campbell, Angel Cabrera, David Howell, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Paul Casey, Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Byeong-Hun An, Alex Noren, Francesco Molinari, Danny Willett, Tyrrell Hatton, Billy Horschel, Shane Lowry, and Ryan Fox have won tournaments on the West Course.
The West Course has undergone several modifications over the last two decades, but it is arguably the most seen course in British golf on TV, and despite some significant alterations each hole remains familiar to the viewer and the golfers.
The FedEx Open de France is the oldest National Open on mainland Europe, first played in 1906, and has been played across most of France's greatest courses throughout the last 120 years, but since 1991 it has been played regularly at Le Golf National near Versailles. The 2018 Ryder Cup venue has undergone a redesign over the last 2 years, primarily because construction for the Paris Metro Line 18 project ran directly through and along the property, significantly impacting holes 4, 5, and 6 of the Albatros course.
Once again, as is the case with almost all the back nine events on the DP World Tour which are played in Europe, the French Open has a remarkable roll of honour featuring several of the greatest golfers of all-time. L'Open de France has been won by Arnaud Massy, JH Taylor, James Braid, George Duncan, Walter Hagen, Henry Cotton, Bobby Locke, Flory Van Donck, Byron Nelson, Roberto De Vicenzo, Kel Nagle, Bernard Hunt, David Graham, Peter Oosterhuis, Brian Barnes, Seve Ballesteros, Bernard Gallacher, Greg Norman, Sandy Lyle, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Eduardo Romero, Costantino Rocca, Robert Allenby, Retief Goosen, Sam Torrance, Colin Montgomerie, Jose Maria Olazabal, Martin Kaymer, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Graeme McDowell, Tommy Fleetwood and Nicolas Colsaerts.
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and this pro-am tournament is played over the Old Course at St Andrews, the Championship course at Carnoustie, and Kingsbarns Golf Links, three of the world's most prestigious and bucket-list courses. Despite its relative youth, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship has the prestige because of the courses it plays on, and because it is the only tournament played annually that sees the champion get his photograph taken on the Swilcan Bridge holding a trophy, golf's most iconic photograph.
Paul Lawrie, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood, Colin Montgomerie, Stephen Gallacher, Robert Karlsson, Martin Kaymer, Oliver Wilson, David Howell, Branden Grace, Simon Dyson, Michael Hoey, Nick Dougherty, Thorbjorn Olesen, Tyrrell Hatton, Lucas Bjerregaard, Victor Perez, Danny Willett, Ryan Fox, Matt Fitzpatrick and Robert MacIntyre have won the tournament, and had their photographs taken with the trophy on the Swilcan Bridge.
The Open de Espana presented by Madrid is the final tournament of the year on European soil, and as with most of the other prestigious National Opens of Europe, it has been played at some of the country's greatest courses, including Valderrama, Centro Nacional de Golf, El Prat, Camiral, El Saler, Real Club Sevilla Golf, San Roque Club, Fuerteventura GC, Golf Costa Adeje, El Cortijo Club de Campo, and since 2019 at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.
The club, located in the northern suburbs of Madrid, opened in 1930 and has two 18-hole courses, and a par 3 course. Club de Campo Villa de Madrid has hosted 11 editions of the Spanish Open since 1990, and it was the location of Seve Ballesteros' final European Tour win - the 1995 Peugeot Open de Espana.
Arnaud Massy, Ángel de la Torre, Mário Gonzalez, Max Faulkner, Peter Alliss, Peter Thomson, Ramon Sota, Angel Miguel, Roberto De Vicenzo, Arnold Palmer, Bernard Gallacher, Seve Ballesteros, Sam Torrance, Bernhard Langer, Howard Clark, Nick Faldo, Mark James, Eduardo Romero, Colin Montgomerie, Padraig Harrington, Thomas Bjorn, Robert Karlsson, Sergio Garcia, Charl Schwartzel, Francesco Molinari, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, and Jon Rahm have all lifted the magnificent trophy which Marco Penge claimed in 2025.
The 2026 DP World Tour Back 9 will conclude with two of the newer events on the calendar, the DP World India Championship, and the Genesis Championship.
The DP World India Championship was first played in 2025, and Tommy Fleetwood claimed the title at Delhi Golf Club, India. The Delhi Golf Club has previously hosted 30 editions of the Indian Open, and the 2008 Indian Masters, along with a significant number of other Asian Tour and PGTI events since it opened in the 1930's. The course was completely redesigned by Gary Player in 2019.
The Genesis Championship was first co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and KPGA Tour in 2024, and is played at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan some 90 minutes from Seoul. The club has also hosted every edition of the Korean Open since 2003.
After the Back 9 has concluded and the top 100 have kept their card, attention moves to the DP World Tour Playoffs, and the finale to the 2026 Race to Dubai.
The leading 70 on the DP World Tour rankings will tee-it-up in the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship at Yas Links. The Abu Dhabi Golf Championship celebrates its 20th anniversary this November, first played in 2006, and the championship has consistently attracted a strong field with the likes of Tiger Woods playing multiple editions, and past winners including Chris DiMarco, Paul Casey, Martin Kaymer, Jamie Donaldson, Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler, Lee Westwood, Shane Lowry, Tyrrell Hatton, Victor Perez, Thomas Pieters and Aaron Rai.
The Abu Dhabi Golf Championship was played at Abu Dhabi National Golf Club from 2006 to 2021, before moving to Yas Links, on Yas Island in 2022. Yas Island is the location of the Yas Marina Circuit, venue for the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the finale to the Formula One World Championship season.
The Race to Dubai concludes at the DP World Tour Championship, first played in 2009 as the replacement for the Volvo Masters as the season-ending championship of the DP World Tour. Played on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, the DP World Tour Championship features the leading 50 players on the DP World Tour, and the Race to Dubai Champion is crowned.
The Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates was designed by Greg Norman, and is undoubtedly one of his best designs, inspired by the courses of the Melbourne Sandbelt, and its bunkering is spectacular. Holes 17 and 18 are compelling holes with a par three featuring an island green, followed by a sensational strategic, and reachable par five. The championship has come down to the final hole on numerous occasions, and 14 of the past 17 editions have been won by 2 or less strokes.
As you would expect, the field is one of the strongest all season on the DP World Tour, and the championship has an impressive roll of honour featuring Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Jon Rahm, Henrik Stenson, Collin Morikawa, Danny Willett, Nicolai Hojgaard, Alvaro Quiros and Robert Karlsson.
At the conclusion of the DP World Tour Championship a Champion will be crowned in the season-long Race to Dubai, and they will lift the Harry Vardon Trophy, with Rory McIlroy bidding to equal Colin Montgomerie's historic record of 8 Order of Merit titles.
Then 2 weeks later, in Sydney, the 2027 DP World Tour season will begin with the BMW Australian PGA Championship, at the Lakes Golf Club. The Australian PGA Championship is the world's oldest PGA Championship, first played in 1905, and has visited almost all of Australia's great golf courses including Royal Melbourne, Royal Sydney, The Australian Golf Club, Royal Adelaide, Metropolitan, Royal Perth, Royal Hobart, The Lakes, Huntingdale, New South Wales, Kooyonga, Concord GC, Victoria GC, Royal Queensland, Coolum, RACV Royal Pines, and Royal Queensland.
This November the championship returns to Sydney for the first time since 1998 when David Howell won at New South Wales Golf Club, Howell is one of the global stars to have their name on the Joe Kirkwood Sr Cup, including Norman Von Nida, Carnegie Clark, Kel Nagle, Gary Player, Peter Thomson, Bruce Devlin, Sam Torrance, Seve Ballesteros, Graham Marsh, Greg Norman, Wayne Grady, Peter Senior, Craig Parry, Ian Baker-Finch, Andrew Coltart, Robert Allenby, Peter Lonard, Nick O'Hern, Geoff Ogilvy, Greg Chalmers, Harold Varner III, Cameron Smith, Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee, Elvis Smylie and David Puig.
In recent years the championship has become an event which has seen a rising star break through, or a home favourite add to their resume with one of the nations Major titles.
In the first week of December the Tour moves across from New South Wales to Victoria, and the Melbourne Sandbelt, for the Capital.com Australian Open at Kingston Heath. The Australian Open is set to be played for the 109th time, with a strong field looking to add their names to the iconic list engraved on the Stonehaven Cup, which includes Carnegie Clark, Joe Kirkwood Sr, Ivo Whitton, Gene Sarazen, Jim Ferrier, Norman Von Nida, Ossie Pickworth, Bobby Locke, Gary Player, Bruce Devlin, Kel Nagle, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Peter Thomson, David Graham, Greg Norman, Bill Rogers, Tom Watson, Mark Calcavecchia, Wayne Riley, Steve Elkington, Brad Faxon, Robert Allenby, Lee Westwood, Greg Chalmers, Aaron Baddeley, Stuart Appleby, Peter Lonard, John Senden, Craig Parry, Tim Clark, Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Matt Jones, Cam Davis, Abraham Ancer, Adrian Meronk and Joaquin Niemann.
Kingston Heath is seen by many as Australia's greatest golf course, and the course will also host the 2028 Presidents Cup when it returns to Australia for the fourth time.
The DP World Tour and PGA TOUR recently announced a new deal with Golf Australia and the PGA Tour of Australasia to enhance and elevate the Australian Open in the coming years, and it will be interesting to see those developments.
In the same week, across the Indian Ocean, the Nedbank Golf Challenge is set to welcome Bryson DeChambeau for the first time, and an elite field of 70 players compete for the title known as 'Africa's Major' The event was first played in 1981 as the Million Dollar Challenge and before 2013 the tournament had a restricted field of 16-12 or even less. The Nedbank Golf Challenge was an event which attracted many of the world's greatest golfers, and its roll of honour compares to any of the Major Championships over the last 45 years, with winners including Johnny Miller, Raymond Floyd, Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, David Frost, Nick Price, Nick Faldo, Corey Pavin, Colin Montgomerie, Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia, Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk, Trevor Immelman, Henrik Stenson, Robert Allenby, Lee Westwood, and Martin Kaymer.
In 2013 the event became a European Tour-sanctioned tournament, and has since seen its field expand to 30, and then 70 players. Thomas Bjorn, Danny Willett, Tommy Fleetwood, Marc Leishman, Alex Noren, Branden Grace, and Max Homa have added their names to the roll of honour, further enhancing the tournament's prestige. The event has been played on the Gary Player Country Club course at Sun City in every year since the first edition, and the course is familiar to global golf fans who tune in every December.
The penultimate DP World Tour event of 2026 is the Alfred Dunhill Championship, played at the spectacular Leopard Creek, on the edge of the Kruger National Park. Past winners include Ernie Els, Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel, but due to its scheduling late in the year it has never attracted the field that the standard of course undoubtedly should do.
Breathtaking golf courses, cosmopolitan destinations, iconic tournaments, historic national opens and many of the best players in the world. The PGA TOUR is undoubtedly the deepest, strongest and richest tour in golf, but this period of the DP World Tour calendar is arguably the best of any period in golf, this is The Glory of the DP World Tour.
SHANK, by Matt Hooper
Matt Hooper is an associate member of the Sports Journalists Association
SHANK's coverage of the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is sponsored by Birdies St. Andrews - the best Pizza Takeaway in St Andrews, open 12pm-3am everyday
13 Bell Street, St Andrews KY16 9UR
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