The story of the 2025 International Swing on the Race to Dubai

With the DP World Tour taking a one-week break in its Race to Dubai schedule, here is all you need to know at the conclusion of the International Swing.

Canter claims swing triumph

It was less than a year ago that Canter was without full playing rights on the DP World Tour and searching for an elusive first title. However, since his victory at the European Open in Germany in early June, the Englishman has capitalised on the platform having a schedule to work to has provided him.

After being in the mix to earn a PGA TOUR card via his Race to Dubai finish over the DP World Tour Play-Offs at the end of last season, the 35-year-old has enjoyed a stellar start to the 2025 Race to Dubai.

Across his four starts on the International Swing, he has been a picture of consistency. The platform for his victory in the Swing came with a solo third place finish at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the Rolex Series, before his highlight came with his play-off victory at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship. He then came tied 35th at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, before coming close to winning his third DP World Tour in less than 12 months at the Investec South African Open Championship, losing out to home favourite Dylan Naidoo in a play-off after the weather-affected tournament was reduced to 54 holes.

Such was his advantage in the rankings, he had won the Swing going into last week’s Joburg Open, which he opted to miss to prepare for his debut at THE PLAYERS Championship after climbing into the world’s top 50 for the first time.

Speaking to the DP World Tour after securing his spot in the PGA TOUR's flagship event, he said: "The South African Open for me has always been a huge tournament and maybe more so than regular European guys just because I've spent so much of my life going down there. I played two seasons there as an amateur because I had a good friend who gave me a base out there to practise in my winters. Because I have done that a lot and I have got a lot of good friends there, it has always been a big tournament to me. The history within the event just on its own is amazing. It is the second oldest national open which is just epic. First and foremost, as long as I can play it, I will always go and play it and try to win it."

How it unfolded

Hero Dubai Desert Classic

The International Swing began in the United Arab Emirates, with a world-class field assembling at the iconic Emirates Golf Club for the first Rolex Series event of 2025. Defending champion Rory McIlroy was joined by a plethora of global stars, including Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Tommy Fleetwood. But it was another Ryder Cup team-mate in Tyrrell Hatton who was left celebrating victory as the in-form Englishman carded a closing three-under-par 69 to hold off New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier and equal Rahm's record of five Rolex Series titles. Such were the points on offer, he went straight to the top of the Race to Dubai and International Swing Rankings.

Ras Al Khaimah Championship

The DP World Tour then made the short journey to Ras Al Khaimah, with a host of Major champions and Rolex Series winners teeing it up at Al Hamra Golf Club. Despite a flying start by England’s Marcus Armitage, who equalled the low-round of the season with a 63, it was Spain’s Alejandro del Rey who seized the moment over the weekend with back-to-back bogey-free 66s to claim a four-shot victory. In doing so, he became the third first-time winner so far this season. The event also saw two aces registered, with Daniel Gavins and Adrien Saddier both holing tee-shots at the par-three seventh.

Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship

The seven-event swing continued in the Kingdom of Bahrain as Royal Golf Club played host to the second edition of the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship. The week started in spectacular fashion as HotelPlanner Tour graduate Brandon Robinson-Thompson threatened to card just the second 59 on the DP World Tour before settling for a 61. However, it was fellow Englishman Callum Tarren who led after both the second and third rounds as he sought his first DP World Tour title after losing PGA TOUR status last season. With a host of players in contention on the final day, it was experienced Spaniard Pablo Larrazábal who appeared set to land his tenth DP World Tour success as he moved ahead with a birdie at the par-five 13th. But after a three-putt bogey on the 18th, he dropped into a three-man play-off alongside English pair Canter and Daniel Brown, which the former won with a brilliant birdie.

Commercial Bank Qatar Masters

The curtain was brought down on the spell in the Middle East with a return to Qatar’s Doha Golf Club and it produced arguably the most dramatic finish so far this season. With HotelPlanner Tour graduate Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen holding the clubhouse lead after a brilliant closing 66, all eyes were on Haotong Li as he required a birdie at the last to seal victory. And after finding the greenside bunker in two, he nervously holed a 15-foot birdie putt to complete an up-and-down. With it, the Chinese entered the winner’s circle for the first time since the BMW International Open in June 2022 as he claimed his fourth DP World Tour title.

Magical Kenya Open presented by absa

After our first off week of the year, the action on the course resumed in Africa at Muthaiga Golf Club. Known for always delivering some great stories, this year's edition did not dissapoint as 15-year-old amateur Shashwat Harish impressed the bumper home crowds on his DP World Tour debut. Despite an impressive showing, he was unable to make the cut as Jacques Kruyswijk went bogey free over the weekend to become the second South African winner of this event since it became part of the DP World Tour’s Global Schedule in 2019. John Parry, who won the Opening Swing, finished solo second, continuing an impressive start to the season that has seen him record a victory and two second-place finishes in three visits to Africa so far this campaign.

Investec South African Open Championship

The Swing then reached its home strait with the first of back-to-back events in South Africa as players from the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour assembled at Durban Country Club for one of the oldest opens in golf. After torrential rains caused widespread flooding, players were unainmous in their praise for the efforts of greenkeepers in ensuring play got under way on Thursday. However, further inclement weather returned on Sunday, reducing the tournament to 54 holes. With Naidoo and Canter tied for the lead, it was the former who won in a play-off.

Joburg Open

For the second week in a row, a mix of local heroes and global stars came together for the last of our three stops on South African soil on the 2025 Race to Dubai. After fast starts for Wenyi Ding of China and England's Jordan Smith, it was home favourite Shaun Norris that asserted himself as he took a four-shot lead into the final round at Houghton Golf Club. However, Calum Hill charged into contention with a closing eight-under-par 62 to set the clubhouse target at 14 under. In a dramatic climax, Kruyswijk missed a birdie putt at the last to win in regulation play, before playing partner and countryman Norris - who was also chasing his second win of the season - holed from similar distance to force his way into a three-man play-off. After the trio made par at the first time of playing the 18th again, it was Hill who emerged with his second DP World Tour win after Norris found the water and Kruyswijk missed his five-foot putt.

How it finished - The top ten on the International Swing rankings

What does it mean?

As winner of the International Swing, Canter ensures himself entry into all events in the second phase of the season, the Back 9, and takes home a US$200,000 bonus.

Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen has earned an exemption into the Genesis Scottish Open - the second of five Rolex Series events this season - as the leading available member not otherwise exempt from the International Swing Rankings.

And as the four players from Category 18 to have earned the most Race to Dubai ranking points at the conclusion of the Joburg Open (excluding the four members already re-ranked after the Opening Swing Ranking), Niklas Lemke, Gregorio De Leo, Joshua Berry and Tadeáš Tetak are likely to have boosted their playing opportunities during the rest of the season.

What's next?

After a one-week break in the 2025 Race to Dubai schedule, the Porsche Singapore Classic marks the start of the third of the season's five Global Swings - the Asian Swing. From Laguna National, we head to DLF Golf & Country Club for the Hero Indian Open. There is then an off week, before DP World Tour members head to the first men's Major of the season - the Masters Tournament*. The swing then reaches a climax with a double header in China at the Volvo China Open and Hainan Classic.

*Like in 2024, all four Major Championships do not count towards the swing rankings during the 2025 Race to Dubai.