The 2024 DP World Tour season begins with the Opening Swing this week with concurrent events in Australia and South Africa, as the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship and Joburg Open mark the start of the season-long Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex. Here are your five things to know.
One campaign, two continents
Just days on from the end of the 2023 DP World Tour season in Dubai, where Rory McIlroy and Nicolai Hojgaard celebrated individual success, a new campaign begins across two continents – marking the start of another truly global season that will see the DP World Tour play a minimum of 45 tournaments in 26 different countries. The Fortinet Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane is the first of back to back Australian events co-sanctioned with the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia. The Joburg Open, meanwhile, is the first of a run of four tournaments co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour and one of six DP World Tour events in South Africa this season.
Bradbury makes first title defence
Sponsors invite Dan Bradbury completed a remarkable wire-to-wire victory at the Joburg Open last year to claim his maiden title by three shots in just his third event on the DP World Tour. At the time, the then 23-year-old, who had turned professional in the summer, had no playing status worldwide heading into the tournament but secured a two-year exemption on the DP World Tour.
The Englishman went on to make the most of his rookie season, recording top tens at the Soudal Open, Betfred British Masters, Acciona Open de Espana and the Nedbank Golf Challenge, earning his way into the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, where he finished tied 17th last week.
Following his 36th place finish on the 2023 Race to Dubai Rankings, Bradbury now returns to the scene of his maiden triumph in form, having not finished outside the top 20 in his last four DP World Tour starts.
In Australia, Cam Smith will have the opportunity to win on home soil at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship for a fourth time, having carded a final round 68 last year to win the title for a third time.
Open Championship spots up for grabs in South Africa
The race to qualify for The 152nd Open at Royal Troon gets underway this week with three places on offer through the Joburg Open in South Africa as part of The Open Qualifying Series. The leading three players, not already exempt, who make the cut at the Joburg Open will earn places in The Open from 18-21 July. Last year, Dan Bradbury earned his maiden title to book his place in the field, and was joined by runner-up Sami Välimäki and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
Penge among Challenge Tour Graduates looking to make their mark
After a two-week break since the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A, 19 of last season’s Challenge Tour graduates will make the step-up to the DP World Tour at the Joburg Open.
Marco Penge finished top of the Road to Mallorca Rankings after securing his second victory of the season at the Grand Final earlier this month. The Englishman, who became the 12th English Challenge Tour Number One, is joined in the field by the majority of his fellow graduates, including returning Italian quartet Matteo Manassero, Andrea Pavan, Francesco Laporta and Lorenzo Scalise.
Making their DP World Tour debut
Just a week after making it through the marathon six-round contest of DP World Tour Qualifying School Final Stage, players are making their first start of the season. For two of those players, Jonathan Goth-Rasmussen and Sam Jones, it will be a first ever start on the DP World Tour.
27-year-old Jones, who is playing in the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship this week, had only just turned professional, having competed in the Eisenhower Trophy for New Zealand earlier this year and in the Asia Pacific Amateur two weeks prior to Final Stage. Jones, who has only played four professional events in his career, made it through First and Second stage before finishing tied sixth at INFINITUM with a final-round 66.
Jonathan Goth-Rasmussen, who has played exclusively on the Nordic Golf League for years and won his first professional event at The No.1 Tour Final in Golf in Sweden this year, will make his first start on the DP World Tour in South Africa. Having also made it through First and Second Stage, Goth-Rasmussen struggled on the final day but five brilliant rounds before that kept him in a tie for 22nd to secure his card.
Josh Berry, whose similar route took him through First, Second and Final Stage of Qualifying School, but as an amateur, will now tee up in his first professional start in South Africa - having competed as an amateur for the first time at the D+D REAL Czech Masters earlier this year.
