The DP World Tour gets a number of new card holders via the Challenge Tour each year, with the second-tier European circuit a great proving ground and place for up-and-coming pros to gain experience before making it to the big leagues.
Challenge Tour graduates through the years include the likes of Thomas Bjorn, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Brooks Koepka, Tyrrell Hatton and Matt Fitzpatrick.
This past year, 20 more players made it through the DP World Tour’s official feeder circuit, highlighted by Englishman Marco Penge who won the Grand Final in Mallorca to secure his spot at the top of the rankings.
So, how did all 20 get on this season now that the bulk of the campaign is up? Ahead of the DP World Tour Play-Offs, we take a look at how they all fared…
Of the 20 players, three went on to taste victory with Jesper Svensson triumphing in Singapore, Frederic Lacroix winning in Denmark and Matteo Manassero capturing a long-awaited win in South Africa.
Manassero made the most money of all 20 graduates in the regular season, banking over €1.6m, while Svensson was the only other player to earn seven figures with a healthy €1.42m. The pair look set to make a remarkable jump from Challenge Tour to PGA Tour in just two years, with the DP World Tour offering up ten cards to the US circuit each season due to the Strategic Alliance.
Manassero finished 6th in the regular season DP World Tour rankings thanks to seven other top-10s to go with his win, while Svensson was 8th after a win and three other runners-up finishes.
Impressively, 15 of the 20 managed to keep their cards for the 2025 season, with just Adam Blomme (238th), Lorenzo Scalise (163rd), Will Enefer (165th), Max Rottluff (125th) and Stuart Manley (193rd) missing out on the top-114 that keep their playing rights for next year.
Challenge Tour #1 Marco Penge managed to keep his card in the 11th hour after finishing T22 in the final event in Korea to jump from 115th to 110th.
Eight of the 20 graduates qualified for the DP World Tour Play-Offs, with the top 70 teeing it up in the Abu Dhabi Championship before the top 50 go through to the DP World Tour Championship finale – where the Race to Dubai champion will be crowned.
And while 20 players made it to the DPWT via the rankings, 21 actually graduated after Alex Fitzpatrick was promoted thanks to a number of strong performances in limited starts on the DP World Tour. The younger Fitzpatrick brother finished an impressive 41st on the Race to Dubai at the conclusion of the regular season with earnings of around €730,000 after five top-10s.
How all 20 Challenge Tour grads fared in 2024 DP World Tour season
(Image credit: Future)
