The 2026 season may only be nine events old but we have already seen some brilliant performances and foundations laid for potentially life-changing seasons.
First-time winners, multiple winners, holes-in-one, it's had it all and here we take a look at five players who have taken the DP World Tour by storm so far.
David Puig
Ever since he made the cut at his home open as a 19-year-old amateur in 2021, the Spaniard has been on many people's radar and he has quietly gone from strength to strength ever since.
He made the cut on his Major debut at the 2023 U.S. Open and the following year registered back-to-back top fives on the Back 9 at the Open de España.
Two more top fives followed in the Middle East 12 months ago and, now becoming a Club de Campo Villa de Madrid specialist, Puig once again finished in the top ten at his home event.
His first 14 events had shown stellar potential and in his 15th at November's BMW Australian PGA Championship it all came to fruition as he followed in the footsteps of the great Seve Ballesteros to become just the second Spaniard to win the Kirkwood Cup.
"It feels unbelievable, especially winning here in Australia," he said. "They have awesome golf so I'm really excited and happy.
"Obviously my name being with Seve’s name as the only two Spaniards to have won this event makes it even more special. Really happy."
The 24-year-old has not slowed down either, registering two top tens in Dubai to sit fifth on the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World.
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
The Dane's breakout victory felt like it was a long time coming, which is astonishing considering it occurred in just his 42nd start.
In fact he was even featured as one of our breakout stars of 2025 but finally getting over the line at the Crown Australian Open throws him back into the spotlight.
The 2024 Road to Mallorca champion was winless on the 2025 Race to Dubai, yet he very much announced himself as a player to watch at the top of leaderboards, notching 11 top‑ten finishes before breaking through in the early stages of the 2026 season.
Neergaard‑Petersen spent 2025 establishing himself as one of the most polished rookies on the DP World Tour. His consistency kept him in the mix at several big events, and one of his standout moments came at the DP World Tour Championship, where he earned a place in the final group alongside Rory McIlroy. Though his late push - picking up five shots in his final five holes - saw him come up just short of winning the title, the composure he showed under Sunday pressure underlined just how quickly he was adapting to elite company.
His performance at Royal Melbourne then showcased the full breadth of his development and now, as a dual member who already has a second-placed finish on the PGA TOUR, it looks like the sky is the limit.
Jayden Schaper
Schaper’s rise from promising South African talent to genuine DP World Tour star saw him finally reach his potential in impressive style on the Opening Swing.
He collected nine top tens from 27 starts on the 2025 season as he truly established himself on Tour but the 2026 campaign has seen him take things to another level.
After years of knocking on the door, he finally claimed a maiden victory at the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Championship, producing a chip‑in birdie at the 16th and an eagle at the first extra hole to defeat defending champion Shaun Norris.
That victory unlocked something deeper: a surge of belief that carried him to another play-off triumph just a week later at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, where he holed out for eagle on the second extra hole to secure back‑to‑back wins and close out the year as one of the Tour’s most in‑form players.
If 2025 was the year Schaper announced himself, the early stages of the 2026 season confirm he is here to stay.
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Michael Hollick
The only player on our list without a win, Hollick has earned his place thanks to incredible rookie consistency after coming seemingly out of nowhere.
His DP World Tour debut came in 2012, the same year he turned professional, at the SA Open Championship but over the next 13 years he would make just 31 more, all on his home continent barring the 2013 Open and last season's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
In that time he enjoyed success on the Sunshine Tour, winning in 2015, but his true breakthrough at home came last season as he won twice to finish seventh on the Order of Merit.
That secured him a debut season on the DP World Tour at the age of 38 and he has grabbed his opportunity with both hands.
After a missed cut at the BMW Australian PGA Championship, he finished in the top five at the Crown Australian Open, making a hole-in-one along the way, as he secured qualification for The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale this summer.
Back-to-back top tens at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and in Mauritius then helped him finish ninth on the Opening Swing and earn a Rolex Series debut at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Solid results at Emirates Golf Club and in Bahrain see him sitting 25th on the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World and we are sure you'll be hearing a lot more about a man that does not yet have a Wikipedia page.
Freddy Schott
They say that if at first you don't succeed, try try again and that is particularly apt for Schott.
Despite being just 24, it feels like the German has been around a while and that is because it is fair to say he has taken the scenic route to the top.
Coming from the same Düsseldorfer Golf Club as fellow DP World Tour star and good friend Marcel Siem, the six-time DP World Tour winner acted as a mentor to the teenage Schott and even had him caddie for him on Tour.
Schott turned professional in 2021 after some regional amateur success and won his first professional event on the ProGolf Tour at the FaberExposize Gelpenberg Open that same year.
His second victory came on the HotelPlanner Tour at the Frederikshavn Challenge - Presented by HESSEL as he finished ninth on the 2022 Road to Mallorca to earn his way onto the DP World Tour.
He lost his card in his rookie season but gained it straight back as he won Qualifying School Final Stage and while he once again failed to keep his playing privileges in 2024, two top tens in limited starts in 2025 saw him secure his card for 2026.
And he took full advantage earlier this month, defeating Calum Hill and Patrick Reed in a play-off to win the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship for his first DP World Tour title.
