The first round of the DP World Tour Championship is underway at Jumeirah Golf Estates Earth Course in Dubai.
Rory McIlroy is on course to land his sixth Race to Dubai title as he closes the gap to Colin Montgomerie’s all-time DP World Tour record.
PGA Tour star Billy Horschel is also in the DP World Tour Championship field after previously making appearances at the BMW PGA Championship, Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and Open De France.
Englishman trio Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and Matt Fitzpatrick are three more significant names teeing it up in Dubai this weekend, and Paul McGinley believes Fleetwood is one to watch.
Tommy Fleetwood one to ‘watch’ at DP World Tour Championship
Fleetwood is based in Dubai and knows the Earth Course exceptionally well. The 33-year-old is also coming off an impressive performance at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Fleetwood broke the Yas Links course record before eventually finishing in a tie for sixth on 20 under.
McGinley, speaking on Sky Sports, has assessed the Englishman’s chances in Jumeirah this weekend.
“It’s a big hitters golf course, this. I know Matt Fitzpatrick, who is not a big hitter, has had a lot of success here, but he is the outlier. Generally, the big hitters have an advantage. Rory has talked about a lot of bunkers at 310 around here that are not in play for him, but he is able to fly them, so the golf course becomes so much easier for him,” McGinley explained.
“Tommy Fleetwood lives in Dubai, he is very comfortable playing here, he has played really in the desert, and he won in Dubai earlier in the year. He has played well on this golf course. He is a guy you would look to. You look at guys who have played well here, and Fleetwood is one of those who would jump out at me.”
McGinley continued: “Another guy who is primed and ready for a win again. He has had a pretty good finish to the season since he came over from the FedEx and started playing in Europe.
“He played well again last week. He is a guy who would be primed. But I think anybody who finishes ahead of McIlroy has a good chance of winning here. He is the favourite, and you would have to say rightfully so.”
Can Tommy Fleetwood win DP World Tour Championship?
Fleetwood’s recent performances indicated that a victory is just around the corner. Since returning to Europe in September, Fleetwood has a low finish of 12th, which came at the BMW PGA Championship.
Since the Wentworth event, Fleetwood has finished third twice and tied for sixth at last week’s event in Abu Dhabi.
| Tommy Fleetwood’s last four DP World Tour events | Rank | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total |
| Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship | 6T | 62 | 68 | 71 | 67 | -20 |
| Alfred Dunhill Links Championship | 3 | 68 | 65 | 67 | 67 | -21 |
| acciona Open de España presented by Madrid | 3T | 69 | 69 | 70 | 66 | -10 |
| BMW PGA Championship | 12T | 69 | 68 | 72 | 67 | -12 |
Clearly, the Englishman’s game is trending in the right direction. Fleetwood also has a new putter, which made its debut at Yas Links.
If Fleetwood can tidy up his work on the greens in 2025, he stands an excellent chance of winning the DP World Tour Championship. What’s more, the Southport native’s recent form perhaps indicates that his barren run on US soil is set to come to an end.
Fleetwood is undoubtedly the highest-quality player yet to win on the PGA Tour, something the 33-year-old will hope will soon be a thing of the past.
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