Notre Dame will have a representative overseas during the upcoming golf season. [autotag]Palmer Jackson[/autotag], perhaps the best golfer in Irish history, has earned conditional status for the 2025 DP World Tour, also known as the European Tour.
Jackson finished this year’s DP World Tour Qualifying School in a tie for 30th by shooting a 16-under-par 412 over six rounds. That left him two strokes short of earning full-time status for the DP World Tour. So he will spend most of this upcoming season on the Challenge Tour, the European developmental tour for the DP World Tour.
This achievement comes five months after Jackson placed eighth at the national championship, the best finish ever for an Irish golfer at that event. While it already was obvious his career would go beyond his time with the Irish, that moment for him erased any lingering doubts one might have had.
Also, just because, here’s a putting lesson from the man himself:
Congratulations to Jackson, and we wish him well as a professional golfer.
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McIlroy needs just an 11th-place finish to win the season-long race.
To win his third straight DP World Tour Race to Dubai title, Rory McIlroy needs just an 11th-place finish at this week’s DP World Tour Championship.
After the first day of play at Jumeirah Golf Estates Earth Course, it certainly appears the world’s third-ranked player won’t settle for a finish that low.
Showing off a revamped backswing he spent weeks working on, McIlroy kept his misses to a minimum in posting an opening-round 67 and is tied for the lead after the first day of the event with Tyrrell Hatton at 5 under.
Saying the course played a bit more difficult than in recent years, McIlroy had one bogey on the front but cleaned things up on the back with three birdies and no blemishes. He said the recent work he’s put in will help him in situations just like this one, where missing the fairway is truly punitive.
“I think it’s a little bit more consistency. I think my start lines will come in a little bit so even my misses will become a little bit better. I think the criticism of my game over the past 18 months is that the misses had become a little too wide and they were getting me into trouble,” McIlroy said. “So we’re not going to hit perfect golf shots all the time.
“But if you can minimize the misses and make sure that they’re not destructive, that’s always a good thing.”
“I should be sitting up here with a fifth major title and I’m not. So that, that stings.”
Rory McIlroy is in Dubai this week for the DP World Tour Championship, seeking his third straight Race to Dubai — the DP World Tour equivalent of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup — title and sixth overall.
Despite another strong season from the world No. 3 that included his 25th and 26th PGA Tour wins — Zurich Classic and Wells Fargo Championship — McIlroy answered “B” when asked what he’d grade his season.
“It would be a pass, it wouldn’t be a pass with flying colors,” he said with a slight chuckle. “But, um, probably a B.”
The one glaring stain was yet another close call at a major championship, this time at Pinehurst No. 2 at the U.S. Open. McIlroy controlled the tournament on the back nine on Sunday but bogeyed three of his final four holes to allow Bryson DeChambeau to swoop in and win his second major title (2020 U.S. Open, Winged Foot).
“Incredibly consistent again,” McIlroy said when asked to describe his year. “You know, I think I’ve been really proud of that (consistency) over the last few years. But then at the same time, you know, thinking about the ones that got away. I should be sitting up here with a fifth major title and I’m not. So that, that stings.”
“I should be sitting here with a fifth major, that stings” 😔
Rory McIlroy says he’d give himself a B rating for his season but still rues missing out on winning the US Open ⛳ pic.twitter.com/3BTeNJl2Fg
The DP World Tour announced Tuesday its 2025 schedule, and a couple of events are returning to the calendar.
The schedule features 42 events in 26 countries, including the return of the Austrian Open and Turkish Open, as well as the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
The Turkish Open, held at Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort from May 8-11, marks the DP World Tour’s return to Turkey for the first time in six years. The Austrian Alpine Open, at Gut Altentann Golf Club from May 29-June 1, also sees the Tour return to Austria for the first time since 2021.
There will be five global swings on the schedule, and the first event is scheduled for later this month in Australia.
DP World Tour members will also compete for a record total prize fund of $153 million outside the majors.
Here’s a look at the complete 2025 DP World Tour schedule.
Date
Tournament name
Location
Course
Nov. 21-24
BMW Australian PGA Championship
Brisbane
Royal Queensland
Nov. 28- Dec. 1
ISPS Handa Australian Open
Melbourne
Kingston Heath GC & Victoria GC
Dec. 5-8
Nedbank Golf Challenge
Sun City, South Africa
Gary Player CC
Dec. 12-15
Alfred Dunhill Championship
Malelane, South Africa
Leopard Creek CC
Dec. 19-22
AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open
Grand Baie
Mont Choisy Le Golf
Jan. 10-12
Team Cup
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Abu Dhabi Golf Resort
Jan. 16-19
Hero Dubai Desert Classic
UAE
Emirates GC
Jan. 23-26
Ras Al Khaimah Championship
UAE
Al Hamra GC
Jan. 30-Feb. 2
Bahrain Championship
Kingdom of Bahrain
Royal GC
Feb. 6-9
Middle East Event
TBA
TBA
Feb. 20-23
Magical Kenya Open
Nairobi
Muthaiga GC
Feb. 27 – March 2
South African Open Championship
Durban
Durban CC
March 6-9
Joburg Open
Johannesburg, South Africa
Houghton GC
March 20-23
Porsche Singapore Classic
Singapore
Laguna National
March 27-30
Hero Indian Open
India
TBA
April 10-13
Masters
Augusta, GA, USA
Augusta National GC
April 17-20
Volvo China Open
China
TBA
April 24-27
Asian Event
TBA
TBA
May 8-11
Turkish Open
Antalya
Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort
May 15-18
PGA Championship
Charlotte, NC
Quail Hollow Club
May 22-25
Soudal Open
Antwerp, Belgium
Rinkven International GC
May 29 – June 1
Austrian Alpine Open presented by SalzburgerLand
Salzburg
Gut Altentann GC
June 5-8
KLM Open
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The International
June 12-15
U.S. Open
Oakmont, PA
Oakmont CC
June 26-29
Italian Open
Porto Ecole, Tuscany, Italy
Argentario GC
July 3-6
BMW International Open
Munich, Germany
Golfclub München Eichenried
July 10-13
Genesis Scottish Open
North Berwick
The Renaissance Club
July 10-13
ISCO Championship
Louisville, KY, USA
Hurstbourne CC
July 17-20
Open Championship
Portrush, Country Antrim, Northern Ireland
Royal Portrush GC
July 17-20
Barracuda Championship
Truckee, CA, USA
Tahoe Mt. Club
Aug. 7-10
D+D REAL Czech Masters
TBA
TBA
Aug. 14-17
Danish Golf Championship
Copenhagen
Furesø Golf Klub
Aug. 21-24
Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo
Sutton Coldfield, England
The Belfry
Aug. 28-31
Omega European Masters
Crans Montana, Switzerland
Crans-sur-Sierre GC
Sept. 4-7
Amgen Irish Open
Staffan, Kildare
The K Club
Sept. 11-14
BMW PGA Championship
Virginia Water, Surrey, England
Wentworth Club
Sept. 18-21
FedEx Open de France
Paris
Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche
Sept. 26-28
Ryder Cup
Farmingdale, NY, USA
Bethpage Black GC
Oct. 2-5
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
Scotland
Old Course St Andrews, Carnoustie & Kingsbarns
Oct. 9-12
acciona Open de España presented by Madrid Club de Campo
“When you shoot a 62, obviously everything is going to have gone very, very well.”
The last time Tommy Fleetwood teed it up in a competitive round was a month ago at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where he finished third.
However, when he got home for one of his first periods of rest in some time, he decided to start tinkering with his putting. He put a new TaylorMade putter in the bag, and on Wednesday in his pre-tournament press conference, he praised how he had practiced with it, but he was excited to put it to use in the heat of competition.
“To have that time at home to work on something that I’ve put a lot of effort into and something I’m really interested in; and like I said, TaylorMade have done an amazing job with it, and it’s felt good,” Fleetwood said.
After one round, it looks like a worthwhile equipment change.
Fleetwood shot 10-under 62, tying the course record at Yas Links to take the first-round lead at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the DP World Tour’s penultimate event on the schedule. He was the best putter in the field Thursday, needing only 26 putts, the lowest of any competitor in the field, and 1.5 putts per hole, which was second in the 70-player field. Fleetwood had eight birdies and an eagle en route to his record-tying round.
“Putted amazing,” he said. “Felt like I read the greens so well. Beautiful pace control and hit a lot of good putts and started holing them. I worked even all the way through to the last hole, I just hit perfect putts.
“When you shoot a 62, obviously everything is going to have gone very, very well. Just happy to have got off to a great start.”
[afflinkbutton text=”Shop new TaylorMade putters” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/4G5brZ”]
Tommy Fleetwood of England putts on the 18th green during day one of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 2024 at Yas Links Golf Course on November 07, 2024, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Fleetwood said through the second half of 2024 he felt he wasn’t getting everything out of his putting as he would’ve liked. He’s a longtime pupil of Phil Kenyon, the putting coach who helped Scottie Scheffler drastically improve on the greens this year.
However, Fleetwood ran into Ken Brown and David Howell, former Scottish and English, respectively, professional golfers, who started to discuss putting with Fleetwood, sparking him to make the change
Early on, the results are paying off.
“I’ve worked with Phil Kenyon for a long time. He’s an unbelievably putting coach. You know, I always feel like I’m a good putter. It doesn’t always show,” Fleetwood said. “I happened to bump into Ken and Howler on the course and we were talking about a couple of things. Working on how I move my head in my stroke in a couple of practice drills and what happens there.
“And it’s always nice to have a good discussion. They are two of the best putters I’ve ever met and any time you’re talking to those guys, you’re always going to pick something up.”
And pick up the first-round lead, he did. Fleetwood is in front by a shot over Thorbjorn Olesen and Johannes Veerman. Tyrrell Hatton is a part of the group T-4 at 8 under. Rory McIlroy, fresh off a revamped swing, shot 5-under 67 and is T-18.
“It felt okay,” the world No. 3 said. “Sort of gotten comfortable with doing this little rehearsal before I take the club back. It felt fine. I probably wasn’t as imaginative out there or I was sort of hitting very straight shots and I hit a couple where I didn’t really see the picture of what I was trying to do with the ball flight because I was thinking too much on what I was doing with the swing.”
[afflinkbutton text=”Shop new TaylorMade putters” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/4G5brZ”]
“I thought it was important to get in there and do that.”
Most followers of professional golf would agree: Rory McIlroy has one of the best swings in the game.
It’s powerful, smooth and impactful, leading to him being one of the world’s best players for more than a decade now. However, to him, he hasn’t liked the shape of his swing, “for a while, especially the backswing.”
So what did he do? Locked himself inside.
“I sort of committed after the Dunhill that I wasn’t going to watch my ball flight for three weeks,” McIlroy said. “So locked myself indoors in like a swing studio for three weeks and just hit balls into a blank screen or net and just focused on my swing and focused on the movement of my swing and focused on movement of my body patterns. Had a live feed on a TV in front of me of where the club was, and just sort of trying to get the reps in of making the motion that I want to make.
“Then over the past ten days now, sort of from last Monday, started to see the ball flight and get a bit more comfortable with what the ball was doing in the air. Still trying to focus on the move that I want to make. But I think those three weeks were important. I had not had time to sort of do that over the past 18 months. So I thought it was important to get in there and do that.”
McIlroy continued, saying if he were blasting ball after ball on the driving range, he would be enamored with the flight and not his mechanics.
The revamped backswing, which he will continue to work on ahead of the 2025 season, will be put on display the next two weeks in the final events of the DP World Tour’s season. This week, it’s the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links, where a top-two finish can secure McIlroy the top spot in the Rolex Series, the season-long points race that McIlroy has won five times previously.
Only two golfers (Colin Montgomerie with eight, Seve Ballesteros with six) have won more.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a shot on the 18th hole during day four of the BMW PGA Championship 2024 at Wentworth Club on September 22, 2024 in Virginia Water, England. (Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images)
“I pride myself — I’m a European player. I would like to go down as the most successful European of all time,” McIlroy said. “Obviously Race to Dubai wins would count to that but also major championships and hopefully I’ve got a few more Ryder Cups ahead of me as well. So that’s something that I would like to, I think is a goal that’s quite attainable over the next ten years.”
This week will mark McIlroy’s 26th start in 2024, and after next week, he will have played a heavy schedule he looks forward to rejuvenating from over the holidays.
But in the meantime, this week is about seeing how his swing changes have helped. And if he was playing like the world No. 3 before the time locked inside, perhaps that is what it will take to finally get back in victory lane.
“It’s nice to come here with motivation of trying to achieve something and give — put all my efforts into the next two weeks,” he said.
“Given today’s news with what’s happened in America, I think it clears the way a little bit,” McIlroy said Wednesday while speaking to reporters ahead of the DP World Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. “So we’ll see.”
Reports surfaced over the weekend about a deal being agreed to between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, though McIlroy said he was unaware of anything being done. However, with the United States presidential election in the rearview mirror, McIlroy believes the civil war in men’s professional golf could be near its end.
McIlroy was asked about Trump’s comments recently from a podcast where the president-elect said he could strike a deal between the sides in 15 minutes and that all of the best players need to be together.
“He might be able to. He’s got Elon Musk, who I think is the smartest man in the world, beside him. We might be able to do something if we can get Musk involved, too,” McIlroy stated.
“I think from the outside looking in, it’s probably a little less complicated than it actually is. But obviously Trump has great relationship with Saudi Arabia. He’s got a great relationship with golf. He’s a lover of golf. So, maybe. Who knows? But I think as the President of the United States again, he’s probably got bigger things to focus on than golf.”
With a top-two finish this week, McIlroy can claim the DP World Tour’s season-long race for the sixth time in his career, which would tie Seve Ballesteros for the second most all-time.
Kim, a week after missing the cut at the Shriners Children’s Open, where he was the two-time defending champion, had a putt on the 72nd hole to win the event, but it lipped out, and he and fellow International Presidents Cup star Ben An marched to a playoff.
In said playoff, An made a birdie, and a mistake on Kim’s approach shot into the par-5 green resulted in a bogey, giving An his first victory in 9 years.
That’s when, according to Korean news outlet Yonhap, Kim retreated to the locker room, where his frustration was taken out on a locker door, breaking it.
🚨😬🇰🇷 #PHOTO — After losing the Genesis Championship in a playoff yesterday, frustrations boiled over for Tim Kim, breaking a locker room door. Kim apologized to the KPGA and has offered to pay for the damage but disciplinary action is also being considered, per @YonhapNewspic.twitter.com/nJvQVQLgX4
The Korean PGA Tour, which co-sanctioned the event, plans to pay Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea for the damage and will ask Kim to cover those costs. They are also considering options for disciplinary proceedings against Kim, per the report.
On Monday, Kim put out a statement on his Instagram account, apologizing for his actions and saying the matter was considered closed after speaking with DP World Tour and KPGA officials.
Kim won the KPGA’s Player of the Year award in 2021, also having the highest earnings and lowest scoring average that year. In 2022 is when he broke out on the PGA Tour, winning the Wyndham Championship and then the Shriners Children’s Open in a span of three months.
Byeong Hun An could only watch as Tom Kim had a putt on the 72nd hole to win the 2024 Genesis Championship.
Kim looked to walk the putt in, but it lipped out, putting the South Korean duo in a playoff in their native country. In the end, after a mistake by Kim on the first playoff hole, An got the better of his Presidents Cup teammate.
A pair of PGA Tour stars battled it out in a playoff on the DP World Tour, but An came away with the win after a birdie on the first playoff hole. The duo both shot 5-under 67 in the final round at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon, but on the extra hole, An’s birdie propelled him to victory.
Byeong Hun An (L) of South Korea is congratulated by Tom Kim of South Korea after winning on the first play-off hole during day four of the Genesis Championship 2024 at Jack Nicklaus GC Korea on October 27, 2024 in Incheon, South Korea. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/Getty Images)
It’s the second DP World Tour win for An. He and Kim finished at 17 under for the week.
