Michael Kim leads the TOUR Championship...Round 1 results

  DP World Tour Championship : Leaderboard Weather

Michael Kim produced a brilliant burst of scoring on the back nine to lead by one shot after the first round of the 2025 DP World Tour Championship.

The FedEx Open de France champion made three birdies on the front nine before catching fire after the turn, firing five birdies in six holes from the tenth to set the early clubhouse target at -8

None of the later starters were able to match or beat the American's 64, with Dubai resident Tommy Fleetwood his nearest challenger on -7.

Fleetwood posted a sparkling 65 to maintain the remarkable recent form that has seen him win his first PGA TOUR title to capture the FedExCup, play a key role in Europe's historic away Ryder Cup victory at Bethpage Black and win the DP World India Championship in the past three months.

The Englishman also went close at last week's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship but lost out to Aaron Rai in a tense play-off on Sunday.

Race to Dubai Rankings leader Rory McIlroy sits in a tie for third -6 66 behind Fleetwood alongside Thriston Lawrence and Andy Sullivan.

Making his first appearance at the DP World Tour's season finale, Kim's iron play was particularly impressive on Thursday as he got inside ten feet at 11 of the 18 holes to give himself plenty of birdie chances.

However, he produced a shot-of-the-day contender from among the trees, lifting his second shot from the sand to within five feet to set up an unlikely birdie.

Kim continued to give himself chances on the way in but had to settle for three closing pars.

He said: "Just had everything going. Drove it in the fairway enough times, and I hit my irons really great, and was able to roll some putts in.

"My coach Sean and I worked a quick FaceTime session on Monday night and worked really well.

"Happy to hit that many inside ten feet."

Kim is enjoying travelling the world on the DP World Tour, adding: "Coming to places like Abu Dhabi, Dubai, France and India.

"I personally really enjoy the travel. The competition is great, and I thoroughly enjoy my time here."

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)

PGA Tour : Down to the wire for Canadians at Butterfield Bermuda Championships...live scoring

 PGA Tour : Butterfield Bermuda Championship Leaderboard

It has come down to the wire for the 3 Canadians left, playing this Fall Season endeavouring to win their playing privilege's on the PGA Tour for 2026.

Ben Silverman #137, Adam Svensson #163, Adam Hadwin #147 all need a big week.

They have 2 weeks left to get inside the top 100, or face Q School or a season on the Korn Ferry Tour...

more to follow...

Bryan Angus

DP World Tour Championship.. Michael Kim takes clubhouse lead ...live results.

 DP World Tour Championship : Leaderboard Weather

After an amazing drone fireworks display under the black desert sky last night in Dubai, another impossibly clear sunny day dawned and it didn't take long for the players to produce fireworks of their own.

Michael Kim turned professional in 2013

American Michael Kim 28, who the Fed Ex Open de France has set the standard in the clubhouse with an early bogey free -8 64,, but there will be more to follow...

Tommy Fleetwood is on a back nine charge with 5 birdies in 7 holes -7 through 16..

Rory is -5 through 13 having gone out with 5 birdies...

Follow all the scoring as it happens by clicking on  my link above.

more to follow..

Bryan Angus..

Who are the top 20 that won their Tour cards for 2026...

 DP World Tour Qualifying School has reached a climax for another year, providing elation and relief for some while breaking the hearts of others.

Held at the INFINITUM resort in Spain, a 156-strong field started Final Stage last Friday with the six-round event finishing on Wednesday.

After 60 players made the cut after the opening four rounds – played across both the Lakes and Hills courses – it was left for the remaining hopefuls to vie to finish among the top 20 and ties and secure DP World Tour playing privileges.

This year, DP World Tour winners Eddie Pepperell, Shubhankar Sharma, Adri Arnaus and Matthew Baldwin are among those to do just that, while there are six players who have come through all three stages of Qualifying School to earn the right to compete on the Race to Dubai next season.

Among those to just fall short of securing Category 18 status on the DP World Tour were France's Alexander Levy and Scotland's Marc Warren, who have nine DP World Tour titles between them, with both eligible for membership of the HotelPlanner Tour in Category 9 for the 2026 season.

South Africa’s Zander Lombard won the six-round test of endurance on 36 under par – finishing a remarkable 13 shots clear of his nearest challengers – with an aggregate total of 18 under good enough to finish among the top 20.

Here, we breakdown the players who have secured their DP World Tour status for 2026…

Swift returns to Golf's Global Tour

Final Stage of Qualifying School began less than two weeks on from the culmination of the regular DP World Tour season, with several players who finished outside the top 115 on the Race to Dubai Rankings to lose their full playing privileges promptly regaining status at Final Stage.

Leading that charge was event winner Lombard, who had a delayed start to his 2025 season after an anterior cruciate ligament rupture and medial meniscus tear sustained playing padel in June 2024 forced him to be on the sidelines for seven months.

“It’s been a tough year and a half," he said.

"From knee surgery, learning how to walk again, to trying to find my game the last six months and then really starting to enjoy the game again the last two.

"It’s been trending and hopefully I can keep this form for the year to come.”

Aaron Cockerill finished 120th on the Rankings, but the Canadian, with his back to the wall can look forward to his starts again on the DP World Tour, as can India’s Sharma after he put a season of toil behind him – attributed to struggles with new equipment – by coming through Second Stage and then Final Stage as the pair finished in a T2

Nathan Kimsey, the HotelPlanner Tour’s Number One in 2022, is no stranger to Q-School having come through all three stages on his way to winning Final Stage in 2016. He has had his injury troubles over recent years and went without a top ten last season but is another who will be teeing it up during the early weeks of the new season after finishing solo fifth.

Fellow Englishman Baldwin won his maiden DP World Tour title in 2023 - on his 200th start - but lost his card last month, bouncing back quickly from that disappointment at Final Stage as he finished birdie-eagle to finish in the top ten.

Andreas Halvorsen of Norway is another who played on the DP World Tour last season and will be back on Golf’s Global Tour later this month and beyond, while Adri Arnaus is a well-known name who will hope to return to the form that saw him win in his homeland in 2022.

The headline maker

Already one of European golf’s best known players, Pepperell has only bolstered his legion of fans in the past couple of years through The Chipping Forecast, a podcast he co-hosts alongside broadcasters Andrew Cotter and Iain Carter.

On paper, he was the biggest name on the entry list at Final Stage and his success in securing playing privileges will be a source of great happiness for many from far and wide.

Having bogeyed the 12th in his final round, the Englishman was three outside the projected number to finish in the top 20 and ties but he closed with four consecutive birdies to finish at 19 under, in a share of 12th place.

Last year, he missed from seven feet for eagle at the last to miss out on status by one shot so it was no surprise that he was emotional after his stunning finish.

“I’m pretty proud of myself actually," he said. "That was a tough day [with] a great finish.

"I didn’t have too many goals coming into these two weeks.

"I was just looking forward to playing some golf to be quite honest and hoping that I would play well.

"This week felt like a bit of a struggle at times and never more so than today midway through the round, but I really hung in there. I am delighted."

The headline maker

Already one of European golf’s best known players, Pepperell has only bolstered his legion of fans in the past couple of years through The Chipping Forecast, a podcast he co-hosts alongside broadcasters Andrew Cotter and Iain Carter.

On paper, he was the biggest name on the entry list at Final Stage and his success in securing playing privileges will be a source of great happiness for many from far and wide.

Having bogeyed the 12th in his final round, the Englishman was three outside the projected number to finish in the top 20 and ties but he closed with four consecutive birdies to finish at -19 in a share of 12th place.

Last year, he missed from seven feet for eagle at the last to miss out on status by one shot so it was no surprise that he was emotional after his stunning finish.

“I’m pretty proud of myself actually," he said. "That was a tough day [with] a great finish.

"I didn’t have too many goals coming into these two weeks.

"I was just looking forward to playing some golf to be quite honest and hoping that I would play well.

"This week felt like a bit of a struggle at times and never more so than today midway through the round, but I really hung in there. I am delighted."

From First Stage to the DP World Tour

The gruelling six-day marathon that is Final Stage marked the climax of Qualifying School, which began earlier this year in late August.

Across First Stage and Second Stage there have been 14 events, with six players contesting at least 252 holes to secure career-changing DP World Tour status.

Among those is Brazil’s Frederico Biondi Figueiredo, who won over the opening weekend of First Stage, with fellow South American Andres German Gallegos of Argentina also a winner at First Stage.

Scottish-born Australian Connor McKinney, who led after a flawless 62 in the opening round at Final Stage, finished in a T2 at INFINITUM, with Portugal’s Daniel Rodrigues, whose only DP World Tour appearance came as an amateur on home soil in 2019, making the most of the platform that Q-School provides.

Joining them were American Hunter Logan and Mike Toorop of the Netherlands, who revealed he spent 15 minutes crying outside recorders thinking of his ten-month old son as he came to grips with swapping playing on the Germany-based Pro Golf Tour for the DP World Tour.

Meanwhile, Quentin Debove of France, England's Jack Hule and Thailand's Sadom Kaewkanjana secured their DP World Tour status by coming through Second and Final Stages.

Debove - ranked outside the world's top 1000 - will join a strong French contingent on the Race to Dubai next season, having played on the Alps Tour this year.

At 31, Hule has swapped the Clutch Pro Tour for the DP World Tour, while Kaewkanjana is a three-time winner on the Asian Tour.

Final Stage specialists

Describing them as specialists might be a bit of a stretch, but securing DP World Tour status over back-to-back years at Final Stage is no mean feat.

Having finished third last year, American Davis Bryant carded a 62 on day three to help him comfortably finish among the top 20 and he will hope to be better equipped for his second taste of the DP World Tour after a rookie season that saw him combine playing opportunities across both the DP World Tour and HotelPlanner Tour.

Gregorio de Leo made 17 starts on the DP World Tour in his rookie season after graduating from Q-School last year, registering two top tens as he finished 130th on the Race to Dubai Rankings.

The third and final member of this group is Benjamin Follet-Smith, with the Zimbabwean – a two-time winner on the HotelPlanner Tour – hoping to make a quick adjustment when the 2026 Race to Dubai begins after coming through two stages of qualifying.

Last season, he prioritised events on both the DP World Tour and HotelPlanner Tour that were co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour, before struggling for form as the Tour arrived in Europe.

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)

Zander Lombard leads Top 20 at Q School, Aaron Cockerill T2

 Zander Lombard closed out a dominant performance to win the Final Stage of DP World Tour Qualifying School as 20 players earned DP World Tour playing privileges for next season.

The South African, solo leader since the fourth round at INFINITUM, signed for an eight under par 63 to go with rounds of 64-69-67-64-64 and reach -37 for the week.

Shubhankar Sharma of India, Canada’s Aaron Cockerill and Australia’s Connor McKinney finished in a tie for second, 13 shots further back at -24, at INFINITUM in Spain.

edit>>>> after a poor season with only one top 10, just missed #115 on last day in Korea, Aaron found his game and confidence with 31 birdies, 71 pars, just 5 bogeys, 1 double in 108 holes, will be delighted to get right back for his 5th season on DP World Tour.

Lombard lost his DP World Tour card last month after a delayed start to his campaign following seven months on the sidelines due to an anterior cruciate ligament rupture and medial meniscus tear sustained playing padel last year.

It is the second time he has secured his status on the DP World Tour through Qualifying School, having come second to Alejandro Cañizares at Final Stage in 2018.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet, but it is what I came here to do,” he said. “So, unreal. It’s hopefully the springboard for what the season has in store.

“It was a great week. A tough week, a long marathon… It was easy to just sit back and relax and start making a few errors, but my caddie and I were having fun, but we stayed focused the whole week and that produced the score we have on the board.

“It’s been a tough year and a half. From knee surgery, learning how to walk again, to trying to find my game the last six months and then really starting to enjoy the game again the last two. It’s been trending and hopefully I can keep this form for the year to come.”

England’s Eddie Pepperell made birdies on the final four holes to earn his playing rights for the 2026 season in dramatic fashion, with countryman and fellow DP World Tour winner Matt Baldwin finishing birdie-eagle to earn a swift return to Golf’s Global Tour.

“I’m pretty proud of myself actually,” said Pepperell. “That was a tough day [with] a great finish.

“I didn’t have too many goals coming into these two weeks. I was just looking forward to playing some golf to be quite honest and hoping that I would play well.

“This week felt like a bit of a struggle at times and never more so than today midway through the round, but I really hung in there. I am delighted.”

Adri Arnaus, another former winner on Tour, made birdies at three of his final four holes to earn his card, while France's Quentin Debove, Norway’s Andreas Halvorsen and Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana were all able to celebrate success at the six-round event.

American Davis Bryant, Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Follett-Smith and Gregorio De Leo of Italy came through Final Stage for the second year running.

Final Stage Qualifiers

Zander Lombard (RSA)

Connor McKinney (AUS)

Shubhankar Sharma (IND)

Aaron Cockerill (CAN)

Daniel Rodrigues (POR)

Nathan Kimsey (ENG)

Quentin Debove (FRA)

Davis Bryant (USA)

Benjamin Follett-Smith (ZIM)

Matthew Baldwin (ENG)

Gregorio de Leo (ITA)

Andreas Halvorsen (NOR)

Adri Arnaus (ESP)

Eddie Pepperell (ENG)

Jack Yule (ENG)

Andres German Gallegos (ARG)

Sadom Kaewkanjana (THA)

Federico Biondi Figueiredo (BRA)

Hunter Logan (USA)

Mike Toorop (NED)

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)

Aaron Cockerill regains his Tour card T2 Q School final stage...Final results.

   DP World Tour : Q School Final Stage.  Leaderboard Tee Times

With the week of his entire year, Aaron Cockerill who only managed one top 10 all season has turned the whole season right on its head with rounds of 69 66 70 67 67 65 -24 to T2 at this Final Stage of the DP World Tour Q School.

Those who follow me know I have written about every round he has played this year, this is absolutely fantastic for Aaron his wife Chelsea even daughter Addison who were staring a year on the Challenge Tour (now Hotel Planner) squarely in the face.

He is one of 20 players and ties to get category 18 status on Tour and because he played so well he will get more entries to tournaments in 2026.

This week he has made 31 birdies, only 5 bogey's, 1 double and 71 pars in 108 holes !

more to follow...

Bryan Angus

DP World Tour Championship thoughts with Iona Stephen

 If you are a regular follower of the DP World Tour on TV, Sky Sports in UK or Golf Channel in North America, you will be familiar with Iona Stephen. As a Scot I may be biased, she's from St Andrews, but this lass has done so very well at the various projects she has been assigned. She is smart, articulate witty, athletic, and respected.

Here is her look at the week ahead from europeantour.com.

This will be my sixth DP World Tour Championship, and it's a week I absolutely look forward to.

I first worked the event in 2019, back when I was with Golfing World, a magazine show that sadly no longer exists. It was a fantastic job: I’d interview players Monday to Wednesday, then fly out before the tournament began. We focused heavily on preview content, and I loved it.

These days, my role starts on Thursday as an on-course commentator, though I’m involved in preparations from Tuesday onward.

The venue sets the tone—it’s a fabulous course to commentate on. No hole is the same, and every year the Earth Course seems to get better. The condition improves, and those who’ve been coming longer than I have say it’s matured beautifully.

Returning to the same venue each year also builds identity. It’s like the Masters—everyone develops their own relationship with the place. This is my third year commentating on-course, and I remember so much from last year. It’s exciting to see how players will approach it differently, how conditions will affect play. That familiarity adds depth to the experience.

This year will also be the fourth year that I've also had the honour of doing the prize presentation ceremony and announcing both the Race to Dubai champion and the winner of the DP World Tour Championship. It's genuinely a real honour to do that. It's the season finale and getting to stand there with some distinguished guests on the green and do all of that is really fantastic, it's always something I'm really proud to do every year.

The flow of the tournament is seamless. The putting green sits next to the driving range, which isn’t far from the first tee, and the media centre is nearby too. It’s a joy to be part of the media here. With a smaller field, you get more personal time with players, and they’re generally in a great mood—they’ve made it to the final leg of the playoffs. That means better conversations, more insight, and a real sense of connection.

Just this week, I had a chat with Rory about his bag setup. Spending time on the range with players is a privilege—especially at this stage of the season when they’re already thinking ahead. You get to see the deeper layers of their game, and because it’s such an enjoyable week, coaches and team members tend to be here too. That makes for fascinating conversations about what they’re working on.

The putting green is another highlight. All year, you might see players using training aids and wonder what they’re doing. This week, you can actually ask. It’s intimate, relaxed, and everyone’s in good spirits.

From a commentator’s perspective, the course itself is a dream. The par threes are excellent—tough and varied. The 4th, for example, is long and hard, and then there’s the iconic island green on 17. Depending on the wind, players might hit anything from a nine-iron to a four-iron. The swirling wind, thanks to the trees, adds complexity. Unlike last week in Abu Dhabi, which played like a links course, here you have to plot your way around. Tee boxes are tucked away, bunkers sit in awkward spots, and strategy is key.

It’s a course that rewards both length and precision. Past winners like McIlroy, Rahm, and Højgaard are great drivers of the ball. Others, like Willett and Fitzpatrick, are exceptional putters. If you’re strong in either area, you’ve got a real shot at the title.

And then there’s the 18th. A par five finish is always thrilling. Anything can happen—doubles, eagles, dramatic swings. It’s a commentator’s dream. The burn up the middle creates options off the tee. Statistically, the right-hand side offers a better chance at birdie, but the carry is around 290 yards. If there’s wind, it’s a big ask. The left-hand lay-up isn’t easy either, and I’ve seen all sorts of drama unfold there.

The atmosphere around the 18th is electric. Hospitality tents wrap the green, creating an amphitheatre effect. It’s the final ascent of a mountain climbed all year. The summit is in sight—but who will be crowned champion?

As for storylines, Marco Penge stands out. A year ago, he was fighting to keep his card. Now, with three wins, he’s pushing Rory McIlroy for the Race to Dubai title. I played golf with Marco when he was 11 or 12, and his perseverance is inspiring.

Dan Hillier is another talent to watch. He’s had a strong end to the season, and I don’t think we’ve seen his best yet. And then there’s Aaron Rai. Spending time with Aaron leaves you wanting to be a better person. He's a very kind guy and I feel like in the professional game of golf, it's very important to remember what this game is all about for amateurs and for a broader audience. He approaches the game with a kind of reverence—an old-school respect that’s rare today. He still uses iron covers, double gloves, and a pink castle tee. His dad was on the range last week in a waistcoat, and their bond is beautiful to witness. Aaron reminds us what golf is really about—not just money or performance, but love for the game. He connects us to that.

I also had a chat with Kristoffer Reitan last week in Abu Dhabi. I mean, his caddie was telling me more of the good stuff really but he came from the Grand Final last year, and now it looks like he's going to get his PGA Tour card. So to think you've got a PGA Tour card within the space of 12 months or less and be currently 4th on the Race to Dubai, is remarkable. You know, that is a really amazing achievement. He's 27 years old and his entire life has changed within 12 months. And one of the best drivers of the golf ball I've ever seen in my life. So he's probably going to do well this week.

And then there’s Rory. Chasing Monty’s record would be a monumental achievement. To break out on the DP World Tour is hard enough. To win once is hard. To do what Rory’s done—and sustain it—is extraordinary. He’s one of those rare talents, like Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods. For our generation, it’s Rory McIlroy.

He’s building a legacy, and European golf matters to him deeply. Beating Monty’s record isn’t just about numbers—it’s about impact, about leaving something that lasts. And I think that matters to Rory more than ever. It’s beautiful.

It's going to be an incredible week.

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)