2021 Race to Dubai: Billy Horschel Leads European Tour Points Race

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Billy Horschel
Billy Horschel waits to play on the 18th green during the third round of the WGC-Workday Championship at The Concession on Feb 27, 2021 in Bradenton, Fl. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

The Race to Dubai is a season-long competition to crown the European Tour’s number one player. It works in a similar fashion to the PGA Tour’s FedExCup. Instead of using money as the leading indicator, the pro golf tours use a points-based system. The Euro tour’s points race debuted in 2009 as a replacement for its longtime money-based ‘Order of Merit.’

The new name reflected the addition of a new season-ending tournament, the Dubai World Championship – now called the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.

Through the first 10 events of the 2021 European Tour season, Billy Horschel leads the race with 1,978.3 points. The American is the top dog by virtue of a win (Dell Match Play) and runner-up (Workday Concessions) at the season’s two WGC events.

Despite just a single top-10 finish, Tyrrell Hatton was in second-place, trailing Horschel by about 250 points. The Englishman’s biggest point hauls thus far are T6 (119.3) at the Saudi International and T18 (124.0) at the Masters.

Tyrrell Hatton
Tyrrell Hatton tees off on No. 3 during the third round of the Saudi International at Royal Greens on Feb 6, 2021 in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

Collin Morikawa, who was about 250 points further back of Hatton, held down the third spot. The 24-year old American’s position was primarily due to his win at the WGC-Workday Championship where he secured 1,3350 of his 1,494 points.

Will Zalatoris was next with 1,262 points, most of which came from a runner-up at the Masters (1,113). Aussie Jason Scrivener rounded out the top-5 leaders, and was the only true European Tour member among the top leaders. The Aussie teed it up in the season’s first four tournaments, but hasn’t played since the WGC Workday event.

For those wondering: World Golf Championships and Majors are part of the European Tour’s season, just like they’re included in the PGA Tour’s schedule. This is why the top-ranked players are mostly full-time PGA Tour members as the Masters and two WGC events offer more points than regular Tour stops.

As the season progresses, and more regular points are compiled – including Rolex Series events, full-time European Tour players will be better represented among the leaders.

Race to Dubai Rankings

1. Billy Horschel (3, 1978)
2. Tyrrell Hatton (6, 1736)
3. Collin Morikawa (4, 1494)
4. Will Zalatoris (3, 1262)
5. Jason Scrivener (10, 928)
6. Paul Casey (4, 930)
7. Viktor Hovland (4, 867)
8. Rory McIlroy (4, 804)
9. Justin Rose (5, 754)
10. Tony Finau (4, 747)


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