PGA Tour welcomes 10 new members including Rory McIlroy protege and forgotten wonderkid

The DP World Tour season came to a dramatic close on Sunday with and a but it was an equally memorable day for 10 other men in the Middle East.

awarded to the top 10 finishers in the Race To Dubai who did not already hold the golden ticket to play on the lucrative circuit across the pond.

So while McIlroy was edging his way to players further down the leaderboard were scrambling for precious ranking points to punch their ticket to play in the United States in 2025.

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There were shows of poise and fortitude as some sneaked into the top 10. For others, it was a heartbreaking afternoon as the moment passed them by. The rankings are set to be officially confirmed on Monday, but here is the projected top 10.

Rasmus Hojgaard

The Dane has gone from agony to relief in the space of 12 months. He missed out on a card last season by just one spot, while his twin brother Nicolai won the Tour Championship and booked his flight stateside.

But Rasmus, 23, has responded in style in 2024, winning the Irish Open and showing supreme consistency to secure his PGA Tour card. He pushed McIlroy hard on a tense final day of the Tour Championship, and a second-place finish was good enough to secure the same spot in the Race To Dubai standings.

Thriston Lawrence

Perhaps the most consistent player on the DP World Tour this season. The South African, ranked 47th in the , did not get into the winners' circle, but he had five second-place finishes and came fourth at The Open.

The 27-year-old was the only man who had a chance to beat McIlroy to the Race to Dubai title, but he was never in contention at the Earth Course, finishing in a tie for 30th. Still, third place in the order of merit and earning a PGA Tour card represents a breakthrough season.

Paul Waring

Waring, 39, has been something of a late bloomer, claiming his first win in six years – and only the second of his career – last week at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. That result propelled him towards the top of the Race To Dubai standings, and the Englishman sealed the deal with a solid finish in the Tour Championship, finishing in a tie for 16th.

Once considered a journeyman, Waring has moved to just outside the top 100 in the Official World Ranking (OWGR) and he will be plying his trade in the US next season. An incredible story.

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Jesper Svensson

The Swede announced himself on the DP World Tour with victory at the Porsche Singapore Classic in March, and strong performances at the Czech Masters and British Masters boosted his challenge for a top-10 spot.

The 28-year-old got the job done, despite a one-over-par final round on Sunday. He finished at nine-under for the week and in a tie for seventh, securing 10th place in the order of merit.

Niklas Norgaard

Victory at the British Masters in September saw the Dane, 32, fly up the rankings. He has reached a career-high of 89th in the OWGR thanks to seventh at Wentworth and tied 1oth at Yas Links last week.

Norgaard did not have his best stuff at the Earth Course this week, finishing well off the pace in tied-40th, but the hard work had already been done and he joins the growing Scandinavian contingent on the PGA Tour.

Matteo Manassero

Once considered one of the greatest young talents in the sport alongside McIlroy, Manassero spent years in the wilderness. The Italian claimed his first European Tour win aged 17 in 2010 and he won three more times over the next three years, including the prestigious BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in 2013.

It seemed greatness awaited Manassero as he peaked at No. 25 in the OWGR, but he would go more than a decade without a DP World Tour victory, losing his card and dipping as low as 1,805 in the world rankings in 2020.

But he has fought his way back remarkably in the past couple of years and ended his wait for a big win, claiming victory in the Jonsson Workwear Open in South Africa in March. Aged 31, Manassero has climbed inside the top 100 of the OWGR again, and he has the chance to finally fulfill his promise on the biggest stage.

Thorbjorn Olesen

Another Scandinavian is heading to America, with Olesen's 13th-place finish in the Race To Dubai good enough to earn his card. At 34, he is one of the more established players on this list, with eight DP World Tour titles including the Ras Al Khaimah Championship in January.

Olesen was a member of the Ryder Cup team that defeated the Americans at Le Golf National in 2018 and earned a PGA Tour card last season by finishing ninth in the Race To Dubai, but he finished 157th in the FedEx Cup, putting him at risk of losing his card. But a tied-24th finish on Sunday was good enough to give him another chance in the US next year.

Antoine Rozner

The Frenchman, 31, has played his way onto the PGA Tour thanks to a strong end to the season. He finished fourth at the Genesis Championship in South Korea three weeks ago before following it up with tied-sixth at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship seven days ago.

His good form continued at the Earth Course, entering the final round in a tie for the lead with McIlroy and Hojgaard. A went round in one-over-par, ending his hopes of claiming a career-best win, but a tied-third finish was more than enough to earn his PGA Tour card.

Rikuya Hoshino

The 28-year-old benefited from the strengthened relationship between the DP World Tour and smaller circuits around the world, giving him more chances to play on a bigger stage. The Japanese talent took advantage, claiming his first DP World Tour win at the Masters in February.

Hoshino is a six-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour and the world No. 132 did just enough to earn the ninth of the 10 cards on offer, finishing in a tie for 28th at two-under-par.

Tom McKibbin

Being a young, talented golfer from Northern Ireland will inevitably bring comparisons to McIlroy. McKibbin has benefitted from having a close bond with the four-time major champion, who was quick after walking off the 18th green to give the 21-year-old a huge embrace to congratulate him on reaching the PGA Tour.

It was a nervy afternoon for the Belfast-born youngster, who claimed his first – and so far only – DP World Tour win at the Porsche European Open last season. Back-to-back bogeys at 15 and 16 put him on the wrong side of the dotted line.

But McKibbin showed he is made of sterner stuff with a clutch birdie at the last to finish in a share of 11th and claim the 10th and final card on offer, breaking the hearts of Jordan Smith and Laurie Canter in the process.