Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship: Fantasy DP World Tour ones to watch

After a fortnight in the UAE and Dubai, we move west for the third edition of this event in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Fresh off his maiden Rolex Series win, 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed tees it up for the third consecutive week and he is joined by defending champion at Royal Golf Club Laurie Canter.

Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World leader Jayden Schaper is chasing a third title already this season, while Martin Couvra is hoping to show why he was named 2025 Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year and 2024 HotelPlanner Tour graduate Angel Ayora is seeking a maiden DP World Tour win.

Three-time Major winner Pádraig Harrington, who is nearing his 500th DP World Tour start, returns for a second year in a row, while Matteo Manassero, Antoine Rozner, Niklas Nørgaard and Rikuya Hoshino all held dual membership with the PGA TOUR last year.

Yanhan Zhou, 17, will make his first DP World Tour start outside of China, having won the China Tour's Order of Merit last year to earn his exemption for this season.

Add in a whole other host of DP World Tour winners and rising stars and we are set for a thrilling week.

From insight into the week’s most-picked players among Fantasy managers, to our ones to watch, we run the rule ahead of Thursday’s deadline to pick your team.

Who are the most picked players?

Last week's winner Reed is comfortably our most-picked player so far and features in 71% of teams, 11% clear of nearest rival Schaper.

Belgian Thomas Detry - a PGA TOUR winner last season - is then at 53%, with in-form duo Andy Sullivan and Daniel Hillier rounding out the top five.

Who are our ones to watch?

Favourite - Jayden Schaper

This is one of the tightest calls we've had to make for a while as you players say Reed with your picks and the bookmakers tend to say Schaper but we have to go with Schaper as his current hot streak shows no sign of stopping. He has not missed a cut since early September, comfortably made the DP World Tour Play-Offs with the help of three top tens on the Back 9 and his 2026 season so far has been a revelation: second-first-first-20th-fourth. Already the top-ranked South African in the world, he this week entered the top 50 for the first time and will now surely have Augusta National and beyond in his sights. To top the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World at this stage of the season without winning the Desert Classic is rare since the event joined the Rolex Series and he is only the second player to do it in the last five years. At this rate, he could still be top come November.

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•  Finding balance - How Jayden Schaper became the Race to Dubai's breakout star

Form Horse - Julien Guerrier

Nobody can match Schaper's four top tens so far this season but a man in the chasing pack with three is Guerrier. The Frenchman is not only a Form Horse but a Returning To Form Horse and while his 2026 so far would never be a shock for a player of his calibre, it may have raised a few eyebrows. After claiming his maiden win in 2024, 2025 saw him miss out on the Play-Offs with just two top tens, a total he has already passed this season in four starts. After a top ten to start the campaign in Sun City, he arrives in Bahrain after back-to-back top threes in Dubai, including a career-best Rolex Series finish. Add in a top ten and a top 25 in his previous two appearances at Royal Golf Club and Guerrier is a man to watch.

Wild Card - Richie Ramsay

The Scot is on the comeback trail after a spell on the sidelines and a happy hunting ground could be the perfect place for him to find his magic touch. A sluggish end to 2025 can be partially explained by a stress fracture in a rib that caused him to withdraw from the Genesis Championship but that looks to be behind him after a made cut last week at Emirates Golf Club in his first 2026 start. The DP World Tour has only made three visits to Royal Golf Club before and Ramsay has played them all with two top tens, making him something of a course specialist. A four-time winner starting his 18th full season on Tour, the 42-year-old can never be ruled out.

What can I win?

Sign up and now be in with a chance of winning some great rewards!

The Ultimate Prize

Finish the 2026 Race to Dubai with the highest total Fantasy score and you’ll take home an incredible top-tier prize package:

1st

•  Two Ticket+ tickets to one DP World Tour event in 2027, valid for each day of competition. Both tickets must be used at the same tournament, chosen from the following: British Masters, BMW PGA Championship, Genesis Scottish Open, Irish Open, or Open de France.

•  £500 flight voucher, redeemable in line with the issuing airline/provider’s terms and conditions.

•  £500 accommodation voucher, redeemable with the respective accommodation provider’s terms and conditions.

2nd

•  £300 DP World Tour Store voucher (subject to applicable terms and conditions).

•  Two General Admission tickets (valid for each competition day) to one 2027 DP World Tour event of the winner’s choice from: British Masters, BMW PGA Championship, Genesis Scottish Open, Irish Open, or Open de France.

3rd

•  £150 DP World Tour Store voucher (subject to applicable terms and conditions).

•  Two General Admission tickets (valid for each competition day) to one 2027 DP World Tour event of the winner’s choice from: British Masters, BMW PGA Championship, Genesis Scottish Open, Horizon Irish Open, or Open de France.

This year also introduces two brand-new Boosters: Triple Captain and Bench Boost, giving you even more ways to outscore the competition and climb the global leaderboard.

Alongside the season-long chase for the Ultimate Prize, players will also be able to win rewards throughout the year with prizes available for each Global Swing and Phase of the Race to Dubai.

The International Swing - the second of five global swings on the 2026 Race to Dubai, kicks off this week and there's plenty on the line for our players, including Ranking Points and exemptions into the Back 9 later this year. There's also plenty to play for in Fantasy DP World Tour. The top three players who score the most points throughout the International Swing will win incredible prizes including Season Tickets and DP World Tour Store vouchers.

Looking back - Hero Dubai Desert Classic

He may be a Major champion but Reed was somewhat overlooked last week, making him a valuable commodity to the 1,583 teams he was in and like gold dust to the just 0.75% of players who made him their captain.

Our Favourite Rory McIlroy had his worst week over the Majlis Course for 17 years with a tie for 33rd, while Form Horse Daniel Hillier finished in a tie for 26th and Wild Card Shaun Norris missed the cut after an opening 80.

Season so far - 2026 DP World Tour Fantasy Top 10 player rankings