Race to Dubai: Five players who can still end season as European No 1

By Ali Stafford

Image: Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood are among the contenders for Race to Dubai victory

The European Tour season reaches its climax this week at the DP World Tour Championship, with five players still in the running to win the Race to Dubai.

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Bernd Wiesberger arrives in Dubai top of the season-long standings and holds a 722.7-point cushion over nearest challenger Tommy Fleetwood, with Jon Rahm, Shane Lowry and Matt Fitzpatrick all still with a chance of ending the year as European No 1.

Race to Dubai standings (after Nedbank Golf Challenge)

1 Bernd Wiesberger 4,802.4
2 Tommy Fleetwood 4,079.7
3 Jon Rahm 3,898.3
4 Shane Lowry 3,613.8
5 Matt Fitzpatrick 3,320.9

Wiesberger has led since he followed up victories at the Made In Denmark and Scottish Open by winning the Italian Open last month, with the Austrian extending his advantage with a tied-third finish at the Nedbank Golf Challenge last week.

Image: Wiesberger finished four strokes back from Fleetwood in South Africa

The seven-time European Tour winner's performance in South Africa ended the hopes of Rory McIlroy, sixth in the standings and trailing by more than the two million points available this week, while Fleetwood's dramatic victory saw him jump from 10th to second spot.

A win or solo second for Wiesberger at Jumeriah Golf Estates would be enough to guarantee Race to Dubai victory, regardless of other results, while anything less would take the situation out of his hands and give the other four contenders the chance to stake their claim.

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Fleetwood would win the Race to Dubai for a second time with victory in Dubai, providing Wiesberger ends the week outside of the top two, while various permutations enable the Englishman to finish as low as tied-second and still move top of the standings.

Three-time Rolex Series winner Rahm - who won this event in 2017 - has to finish in a two-way tie for second or better to stay in the hunt, while Champion Golfer Lowry has to end no worse than outright runner-up.

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Image: Fleetwood (right) and Lowry (left) are second and fourth respectively

2016 Dubai champion Fitzpatrick starts the week in fifth and needing a first win of the season to have any chance of moving into No 1 spot, although victory would only be enough if Fleetwood and Rahm outside the top two and Wiesberger ends the week lower than eighth.

The Rookie of the Year and Challenge Tour Graduate of the Year awards are also still up for grabs heading into the final event of the season, with Scotland's Robert MacIntyre - 11th in the standings - currently leading the race to win both honours.

Live on the Range: DP World Tour Championship

Watch the DP World Tour Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports Golf. Live coverage begins on Wednesday with the On the Range show, live from 11am on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event.

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