The Race to Dubai standings will be settled at Jumeirah Golf Estates, where organisers have confirmed Patrick Reed's entry for 12 to 15 November. The Harry Vardon Trophy is within reach.
Before the closing stretch of the season, Reed had 3,423.6 Race to Dubai points, compared with Rory McIlroy's 3,115.9 and Eugenio Chacarra's 2,824.4.
Two wins put Reed in control
Reed, 36, is ranked 29th in the world and won the Masters in 2018. The Dubai finale will be his eighth appearance at the event. He says familiarity with the course gives him a clear sense of the challenge.
A hand and shoulder injury interrupted his season. The DP World Tour said scans found no fracture or bone damage. Reed withdrew from the BMW PGA Championship, then missed the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. He returned at the Open de España in Madrid.
Reed has said that not renewing his LIV Golf contract made a return to the PGA Tour one of his goals, and that his clubs would have to do the talking. The season also carries a route back: the ten highest-ranked European Tour players who do not already have the relevant exemption earn PGA Tour cards for 2027.
McIlroy remains the leading challenger
Rory McIlroy has won the Dubai finale three times and is chasing an eighth Race to Dubai title. That would match Colin Montgomerie's record. The DP World Tour confirmed McIlroy's place in the final, where he will start second behind Reed.
Eugenio Chacarra is also among the top five. Aaron Rai is there too; the source identifies him as the 2026 PGA Championship winner. Ryan Fox, the Open champion, completes the group.
McIlroy's second place at the BMW PGA Championship cut into Reed's advantage. By the start of the Open de España, Reed led by only a little more than 300 points. Three regular tournaments remained before the season moved on to the playoffs in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Reed is chasing a distinction held by only one American: Collin Morikawa, who won the European Tour season title in 2021 and became the first American to win the DP World Tour Championship.
Dubai's November sports calendar also includes the Al Majid Classic. The golf finale has a direct consequence for the standings: its closing results will determine the Race to Dubai leader.
