How Race to Dubai is shaping up: Henrik Stenson’s to lose but Alex Noren remains a threat

Heading into the final round of the DP World Tour Championship, Paul Radley looks at the current state of play in the Race to Dubai.

Henrik Stenson remains in charge of the Race to Dubai standings but a charge on Sunday by Alex Noren could derail his hopes of topping the European Tour money list. Andrew Redington / Getty Images

DUBAI // Rory McIlroy had conceded defeat before the DP World Tour Championship even started, while Danny Willett fell by the wayside after blowing out in Round 3. All of which means the 2016 Race to Dubai will come down to a final day shoot-out between the two Swedes, Henrik Stenson and Alex Noren.

22 = Henrik Stenson (Sweden)

• First in the Race to Dubai

• 4,000,562.92 points at the start of the tournament

Were the race to have ended on Saturday night, Stenson, who played the last seven holes of Round 3 in five-under, would have topped the order of merit by around 350,000 points from Danny Willett. Alex Noren’s inexhaustible challenge is not done yet, though.

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51 = Danny Willett (England)

• Second in the Race to Dubai

• 299,675.03 points behind Stenson at the start of the tournament

The Englishman’s faltering bid effectively reached its terminus after a third-round 76 at Jumeirah Golf Estates (JGE). The Masters champion’s form has been stuttering in recent months, and he seems destined to finish the final tournament among the back markers.

13 = Alex Noren (Sweden)

• Third in the Race to Dubai

• 633,436.42 points behind Stenson at the start of the tournament

The fact Stenson was number-crunching on Saturday night, and wary of exactly where Noren was on the leaderboard, is testament to the fact the quest of the lesser-celebrated Swede is still alive. He needs a titanic push in Sunday’s season-finale though.

22 = Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)

• Fourth in the Race to Dubai

• 1,176,414.37 points behind Stenson at the start of the tournament

Given the strong form of Tyrell Hatton at JGE, Rory McIlroy might even drop out of the top four in the money list. The projected standings, based on their Round 3 positions at Earth Course, have Hatton around 60,000 points ahead of the world No 2.

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