The 11 players making their DP World Tour Championship debut

This week's DP World Tour Championship field sees 11 players tee it up for the first time at the Race to Dubai finale, including two-time winner Casey Jarvis.

Here, we take a look at the 11 players making their debut and how they made it to the final event of the season.

Casey Jarvis

Race to Dubai Rank: 4

The only man on this list who could also win the Race to Dubai title, Jarvis has had an outstanding year that includes back-to-back victories earlier in the year.

After a stand-out amateur career where he became the first amateur in history to win South Africa's 'Triple Crown' (South African Amateur, SA Amateur Stroke play, and The African Amateur), Jarvis progressed to the Sunshine Tour where he was awarded rookie of the year for 2022/23. Graduating the following year from the HotelPlanner Tour, Jarvis had a solid rookie year on the DP World Tour but has undoubtedly enjoyed a breakthrough this year. With the help of a birdie-eagle finish at the Magcial Kenya Open presented by absa he claimed his maiden title, before earning his second a week later on home soil at the Investec South African Open Championship - a result that earned him qualification for both the Masters Tournament and The Open Championship in 2026, where he finished tied sixth. He almost made it three wins in a row and had another close call at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, and heads into this week with not only an outside chance at the Race to Dubai but a near certainty that he will be playing internationally next season as a dual member on the PGA Tour.

David Puig

Race to Dubai Ranking: 21

Our first winner of the season at the BMW Australian PGA Championship, the Spaniard's maiden victory came in just his 15th appearance. A standout collegiate player for Arizona State University, he also represented Spain as an amateur and Europe at the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup before entering the paid ranks. His victory at Royal Queensland made him just the second Spaniard to win the event after the late, great Seve Ballesteros and after that he also recorded back-to-back top tens in Dubai in January. Having played in all four other Rolex Series events this year, Puig arrives for his debut at the Dubai finale following a top five finish in Abu Dhabi.

Hennie Du Plessis

Race to Dubai Ranking: 22

The South African has twice finished runner-up this season, coming agonisingly close to his maiden DP World Tour title in Munich. Having led by three shots with two holes to play, a bogey at the 17th and a closing par left the door open for compatriot Michael Hollick, who finished birdie-eagle to snatch victory. That challenge followed three consecutive weeks in contention in Africa during the International Swing, a run that also saw him claim the Course Record Presented by Nexo prize at the Investec South African Open Championship.

A professional since 2015, Du Plessis also made his Major Championship debut at the U.S. Open before teeing it up at The Open this year. After a dip in form, three consecutive made cuts helped him reach the Play-Offs in Abu Dhabi, and he now arrives in Dubai ranked 22nd on the Race to Dubai as he looks to round off his strongest campaign on Tour.

Davis Bryant

Race to Dubai Ranking: 28

The American lost his card in his debut season last year but after coming through the Qualifying School for the second campaign in a row, 2026 has looked very different. He has had two runner-up finishes at the Magical Kenya Open presented by absa and Austrian Alpine Open presented by Kitzbühel Tirol but his real hallmark has been consistency, with 24 made cuts from 28 starts. A professional for just three years, he had only played two ranking events before gaining his card in 2024 and has made it to the season finale this week for the first time.

Mikael Lindberg

Race to Dubai Rank: 32

The Swede is another player who has something of a break through year in 2026, making his first seven cuts and finishing third in China before claiming his maiden DP World Tour title at the Turkish Airlines Open. That victory also helped him win the Asian Swing and earn a Major debut at the US PGA Championship, marking another step forward in a career that has gathered momentum over the past two seasons and culminates with a debut this week at the DP World Tour Championship.

Having turned professional in 2013, he enjoyed limited success on the Nordic Golf League before three wins helped him top its Order of Merit in 2020. He graduated from the HotelPlanner Tour in 2022 but lost his card after his rookie season, returning through the same route in 2024. This time he retained his playing privileges, with three top-ten finishes helping him reach the first event of the Play-Offs in 2025.

Yuto Katsuragawa

Race to Dubai Ranking: 36

What a difference a week makes. Heading into the regular season finale at the Genesis Championship, the Japanese was 106th on the Rankings and staring down the barrrel of losing full playing privileges. Four rounds and a second DP World Tour title later, he was heading to the Play-Offs. His first win at the 2024 ISPS HANDA - CHAMPIONSHIP came on home soil in just his fifth appearance but he would make just three cuts after that in the season. He finished 91st on the Rankings last term and will now be wanting to make the most of a second chance to truly establish himself on Tour.

Freddy Schott

Race to Dubai Ranking: 38

The German is making the most of his latest opportunity on Tour after twice losing his card. He first earned his playing privileges through the Road to Mallorca in 2022, but lost them after his rookie season before immediately bouncing back by winning Qualifying School in 2023. Retaining his card again proved a challenge, yet two top-ten finishes from limited starts in 2025 secured his return for 2026, and this time he has taken full advantage.

His breakthrough came in February at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship, where he beat Calum Hill and Patrick Reed in a play-off to claim his maiden DP World Tour title. He has since backed that up with a top-five finish at the Volvo China Open and a tie for ninth in Abu Dhabi last week, helping him reach 38th on the Race to Dubai. Having battled to regain his place on Tour, Schott now makes his DP World Tour Championship debut as a winner.

Kota Kaneko

Race to Dubai Ranking: 42

Just one event away from scooping up Rookie of the Year honours, Kota Kaneko gained his card for 2026 via the pathway created with the Japan Golf Tour as he topped its Order of Merit with two wins. He made his first eight cuts and finished second at the Soudal Open before claiming a first DP World Tour title at the Austrian Alpine Open presented by Kitzbühel Tirol the following week. His form tailed off as he missed six straight cuts with summer turning to autumn but after making four of his last five cuts, now arrives at Jumeriah Golf Estates for the first time as the sole rookie within the top 50.

Manuel Elvira

Race to Dubai Rank: 49

The Spaniard came close to a first professional victory at the BMW PGA Championship in September, the standout moment of a season that has also brought a tie for seventh in Austria and a tie for eighth at the ISCO Championship. His challenge at Wentworth helped him on his way to Dubai, where he arrives ranked 49th on the Race to Dubai and will join his older brother Nacho in the field.

Elvira showed early promise with a runner-up finish on his professional debut at the 2019 Ein Bay Open on the Alps Tour, before finishing third on the HotelPlanner Tour’s Road to Mallorca Rankings to earn his DP World Tour card for 2024.

Gregorio De Leo

Race to Dubai Ranking: 50

Much like Bryant, the Italian is making the most of his second chance on Tour after losing his card in his rookie season and coming through the Qualifying School two years running. He had his initial plans to turn professional scuppered by the Covid pandemic but made up for lost time in 2022 by winning three times on the Alps Tour to gain instant graduation to the HotelPlanner Tour. Similar to his DP World Tour journey, success did not come instantly there but having stepped up again, he is proving he can thrive in elite fields havng secured top fives across the Back 9 in Ireland and India. He was the only player in the field last week to be also making their Rolex Series debut, and after a tied 38th finish in Abu Dhabi he's making it back-to-back weeks of Rolex Series in the Middle East.