Race to Dubai 2026: Patrick Reed vs. Rory McIlroy, and the 10 PGA Tour Cards at Stake

The most interesting season-long race in golf right now isn’t on the PGA Tour. On the DP World Tour, former LIV player Patrick Reed is trying to hold off Rory McIlroy for the Race to Dubai title, and a wrist injury just gave McIlroy an opening. Underneath that, ten PGA Tour cards for 2027 are on the line. Here’s where it stands and what to watch over the last six weeks.

How Patrick Reed Got Here

Reed didn’t re-sign with LIV this winter. Instead he committed to the DP World Tour for 2026 and has been playing in Europe while LIV’s funding fell apart around him (full LIV story here). It paid off. A tie for second at the Irish Open in September stretched his lead over McIlroy to 840 points with eight events left. Golf Channel called him a lock for a PGA Tour card, and he has a separate path back to the PGA Tour as a past champion in 2027.

Why McIlroy Is Back in It

That 840-point lead had shrunk to about 308 by late September. Then Reed withdrew from the Dunhill Links (Oct. 1–4 at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns) because of the wrist he hurt at the BMW PGA Championship. McIlroy was expected to play. He said he wasn’t sure what Reed’s schedule would look like but felt he had enough chances left to catch him. One good week in Scotland could put McIlroy in front before the Middle East swing.

Race to Dubai (Sept. 27)	Points
1. Patrick Reed	3,423.62
2. Rory McIlroy	3,115.86
Gap	307.76

The Other Race: 10 PGA Tour Cards

This is the part most American fans miss. The top 10 players in the final Race to Dubai standings who aren’t already PGA Tour members earn PGA Tour cards for 2027. Three of the players near the top already have status: McIlroy, Open champion Ryan Fox and PGA champion Aaron Rai. That means cards go deeper into the standings than the top 10.

As of mid-September, the players in line for cards included Reed, Eugenio Chacarra (third, and close behind McIlroy), South Africans Casey Jarvis and Jayden Schaper, Andy Sullivan, Jacob Skov Olesen, Bernd Wiesberger, Oliver Lindell, Daniel Hillier and Nacho Elvira. Joaquín Niemann isn’t eligible this year: he lost his DP World Tour membership after not playing enough events last season.

What’s Left on the Schedule

Dates	Event	Where
Oct. 1–4	Alfred Dunhill Links Championship	St Andrews, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns (Scotland)
Oct. 9–12	Open de España	Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (Spain)
Oct. 15–18	DP World India Championship	Delhi Golf Club (India)
Oct. 22–25	Genesis Championship	South Korea
Nov. 5–8	Abu Dhabi Championship	Yas Links (UAE)
Nov. 12–15	DP World Tour Championship	Jumeirah Golf Estates, Earth Course (Dubai)

If Reed wins the Race to Dubai, a player LIV couldn’t keep will have beaten the best player in Europe over a full season.

What to Watch

• Reed’s wrist. How many of the remaining events he can play decides this race.
• McIlroy at the Dunhill Links. With Reed out, this is his first clear chance to cut into the lead.
• The card line. Watch the players ranked roughly 10th to 15th. Because members like McIlroy, Fox and Rai are skipped, the last card can go to someone outside the top 10.
• Dubai. The season finale carries the most points on the schedule, so a 300-point lead isn’t safe until the last round.

Who is leading the Race to Dubai in 2026?

Patrick Reed, about 308 points ahead of Rory McIlroy as of Sept. 27, 2026.

How do DP World Tour players earn PGA Tour cards?

The top 10 players in the final Race to Dubai standings who aren’t already PGA Tour members earn cards for the following PGA Tour season.

When is the 2026 DP World Tour Championship?

Nov. 12–15, 2026, on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.