With the DP World Tour this week switching continent from Asia to Africa, we analyse the International Swing so far and look ahead to what is still to come.
Across the last four events in the Middle East – encompassing events in Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Bahrain and Qatar – four different champions have emerged from the desert stretch.
For each player, their wins carry great significance in their respective careers – demonstrated perhaps no better than the emotional scenes on the 18th green after Haotong Li’s winning putt at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters earlier this month.
The Chinese was one of three returning DP World Tour winners alongside English duo Tyrrell Hatton and Laurie Canter, with Spaniard Alejandro del Rey becoming the third first-time winner on the 2025 Race to Dubai.
But with three events still to come, there is plenty to play for in the run-in of the second of five Global Swings.
How has it unfolded so far?
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 fellow Ryder Cup team-mate 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 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 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.
Haotong Li needed to birdie the 72nd hole to win...#CBQMasters pic.twitter.com/Rfd4RpTvCo
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) February 9, 2025
Where does it leave the rankings?
With a win in Bahrain and a solo third-place finish at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in the Rolex Series, Canter holds the advantage at the top of the International Swing rankings.
With 922.20 points from his three starts in the swing, he leads the way by 87.20 points from countryman Hatton, who held the early advantage with his win at Emirates Golf Club.
Next in line is Li, who climbed 27 places to third in the rankings by winning 585 points with his triumph in Qatar.
Daniel Hillier sits fourth after his runner-up finish in Dubai, while Del Rey rounds out the top five after his maiden DP World Tour success in Bahrain.
As it stands - The top ten on the International Swing rankings
| Player | Tournaments Played | International Swing Points |
|---|---|---|
| Laurie Canter | 3 | 922.20 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | 1 | 835.00 |
| Haotong Li | 4 | 676.42 |
| Daniel Hillier | 4 | 621.25 |
| Alejandro del Rey | 4 | 585.00 |
| Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen | 4 | 478.50 |
| Marcus Armitage | 4 | 429.58 |
| Daniel Brown | 4 | 397.33 |
| Ivan Cantero | 4 | 352.43 |
| Pablo Larrazábal | 4 | 315.11 |
To view the International Swing rankings in full, click here.
Swing standouts... so far
While there have been a host of players who have stood out with distinction over the first four weeks of the season, there are inevitably some – and not just those who won silverware – who made a particular impression over the first four weeks of the swing for differing reasons.
Laurie Canter
Since helping Great Britain & Ireland to a thumping win in Abu Dhabi at the Team Cup, the Englishman has maintained his momentum in the Middle East. He played superbly at the first Rolex Series event of the season to finish third, carding a closing 68 to pocket the biggest prize cheque of his DP World Tour career - almost €551,000. After opting to miss the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, he won the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship to claim his second DP World Tour title in as many seasons. That resulted in him rising to the top of the International Swing rankings and, while he was unable to sustain a strong start in Qatar as he settled for joint 35th, he continues to lead the way.
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
It appears only a matter of time before the Dane becomes a DP World Tour winner. Since winning three times on the HotelPlanner Tour last season, the 25-year-old has continued to catch the eye and came ever so close to victory in Qatar. Had he not lipped out for par at the 17th in his final-round 65, he would have been in a play-off with Li. Before that, he showed his potential to compete with the very best by producing another 65 to finish tied tenth on his Rolex Series debut in Dubai. He has now risen to a career high 85th in the Official World Golf Ranking and will be focused on trying to be a regular presence at the top of leaderboards.
Brandon Robinson Thompson
With back-to-back top tens in Bahrain and Qatar, the Englishman has made his mark in what is his first season at this level. Playing in the final group at both events, the 32-year-old impressed with his composure. His solo third-place finish in Doha was his best across his 16 DP World Tour appearances to date. Having missed out on playing in Dubai due to his exemption category, he missed the cut in Ras Al Khaimah but his subsequent results have since lifted him into the world's top 200 for the first time. He finds himself 11th in the swing rankings and will harbour hopes of continuing his rise up the Race to Dubai Rankings over the upcoming three-week stretch in Africa.
Martin Couvra
The Frenchman is another HotelPlanner Tour graduate from the Class of 2024 making a quick adjustment on the DP World Tour. Like Robinson Thompson, he missed the cut in Ras Al Khaimah but has bounced back from that disappointment with back-to-back top fives to sit 12th on the swing rankings. In fact, across his five starts on the Race to Dubai he has three top tens. It’s excellent going for someone who is just 22 years old, but perhaps not wholly unexpected after making headlines by becoming just the seventh amateur to win on the HotelPlanner Tour in Spain in 2023.
What's still to come?
After a one-week break – the first of three on the Race to Dubai before the Masters in April – the International Swing continues with three back-to-back events in Africa.
The Magical Kenya Open at Muthaiga Golf Club marks the fifth of the seven events, before a South African double header, consisting of the Investec South African Open Championship and Joburg Open, bring the swing to a close.
The winner of the swing will once again receive an exemption into all the Back 9 events and USD$200,000, with the highest-ranked player not exempt earning a place at the Genesis Scottish Open.
