🔗 Share this article

Rory McIlroy ventures into new territory by playing in the Indian tournament this week as he makes his comeback to action for the first time since the prestigious team event.

As the Northern Irishman widens his golfing horizons, the European golf circuit enters the closing stage of this year's season-long championship. The world-class golfer is in pole position to claim the season-long title for the fourth season running and seventh occasion in total.

This includes only three additional tournaments following the India Championship; the following week's Genesis tournament in Korean venue - which concludes the 'Back Nine' phase of the tour calendar - and then the final two tournaments in the Arabian region.

These particular big money 'play-off' events in the UAE capital and the emirate are reserved for the leading seventy and then leading fifty in the standings.

However for players such as Fleetwood and Lowry, who are also in this week's field in India, there is less pressure than you might imagine.

Sitting below the top 70, at first glance it would seem both need high finishes from their trip to the Indian course to keep alive their seasons. But, in fact, they are guaranteed in advance of their positions in the UAE and the final event.

This results from a rarely discussed but practical loophole whereby participants of Europe's Ryder Cup team are also considered eligible for next month's season finale events.

The English golfer, who won the PGA Tour's play-offs with his impressive win at August's Tour Championship in Atlanta, sits 94th in the continental circuit's annual rankings. Lowry, who made the putt that secured the team trophy, is one hundred fifty-fifth.

Additional European team-mates who can potentially benefit are Ludvig Aberg (seventy-second) and Straka (147th).

This could question the fairness of a play-off system, which by nature is supposed to bring intense high-stakes drama, but this situation also demonstrates realities faced by the Wentworth-based European circuit.

The tour is dependent on major sponsors such as the title partner, who are also the naming sponsors of this week's event in the Asian nation. The tour requires the top players at their premier tournaments to justify the financial commitment, which runs to millions of dollars.

The talented golfer has enjoyed one of his best seasons, highlighted by his first win on American soil at East Lake just under eight weeks past.

He is one of European golf's elite players and, frankly, it would be inconceivable to stage the 2025 season finale without him.

Practical considerations trumps competitive integrity, even though the world number five - a Dubai resident - has reserved his strongest showings for events that do not qualify on his home tour.

The Englishman has so far played only four European tournaments and been unable to finish in the leading twenty at any of them; the Middle Eastern event, Scottish Open, flagship event or Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

The majors also count on the Race to Dubai and his sixteenth-place finish at the British Open was his only top 20 in the major events. But on the US tour he enjoyed seven placements in the top five.

Fleetwood was also the team's highest contributor at Bethpage last month. It seems absurd for him not to be participating with the tour's leading stars at the conclusion of the campaign.

While in the past the PGA and European tours were deadly rivals they are now closely connected thanks to the cooperative partnership that supports DP World Tour financial rewards.

While the English golfer, recent champion of the Open De Espana, has positioned himself in close pursuit as his nearest challenger at the summit of the season championship, much of the interest for the remaining schedule will have an American bias.

The narrative will be driven by the scramble for ten spots on the American circuit for those who do not currently possess playing rights in the United States. The rising star, with three DPWT wins, is assured of what is generally considered as advancement to the American tour.

The Lancashire golfer, who also guaranteed invitations to the Masters and British Open with his Spanish success, is not in the tournament lineup but will launch a final push to try to overtake McIlroy at the peak of the standings.

And Dan Brown, the man Penge beat in the Spanish playoff, is one of four other Britons in the midst of the battle for a 2026 PGA card.

Yorkshireman Parry and the West Country pair of Smith and Laurie Canter also presently hold spots that would yield a golden ticket for the coming season.

Certain analysts view this scenario as evidence that the DP World Tour is now nothing more than a development tour for big brother on the American continent.

However the DP World Tour argue it is a crucial system that underpins their tour calendar, a necessary and attractive element that maximises playing opportunities for its participants.

Certainly this is the time of the year where the practical aspects and compromises of men's professional golf seem at their most evident.