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Golf Monthly

Sport

Elliott Heath

How Every DP World Tour Graduate Fared On The PGA Tour In 2025

the PGA Tour PGA Tour DP World Tour FedEx Cup (Organization) Tom McKibbin OWGR Rasmus Hojgaard Jesper Svensson the DP World Tour the FedEx Cup (Organization)

Rasmus Hojgaard, Jesper Svensson and Thorbjorn Olesen hitting iron shots.

When the DP World Tour strengthened its alliance with the PGA Tour to include 10 cards for the US circuit, it was seen as a controversial introduction.

Critics stated that a business losing its ten best talents every year was a bad move, while supporters believed it was beneficial for the membership to get the chance to play on a tour with greater financial and ranking opportunities.

We're now into the third season of the agreement and there have been some big successes so far, notably Robert MacIntyre and Matthieu Pavon in 2024 who won three times between them and took home a combined total of roughly $11m.

However, this year's graduates have not had anywhere close to that success with all nine new PGA Tour members missing out on FedEx Playoffs. The other man is Tom McKibbin, who joined LIV Golf and has arguably had the most success of the lot.

We looked through the records of the DP World Tour's PGA Tour rookies this year and the numbers do not make for great reading, with all nine failing to win, falling in the world rankings and earning less money than they did on the European circuit last year.

It could certainly be argued that they would have had better seasons staying at home in Europe - but that could easily be countered with MacIntyre and Pavon's records in 2024.

The best performer on the PGA Tour this year from the DP World Tour 10 was Rasmus Hojgaard, who was the only player on the list to finish inside the top 100 of the FedEx Cup at the end of the regular season in 85th spot.

Rasmus Hojgaard has been the top performer on the PGA Tour this year from 2024's DP World Tour graduates (Image credit: Getty Images)

Hojgaard was also the only player to record a runner-up finish, which came at the Zurich Classic alongside his brother Nicolai.

The Dane was only one of two DP World Tour graduates who earned over $1m alongside Jesper Svensson. The Swede was the second-best performer of the graduates, finishing 110th in the FedEx Cup for the regular season thanks to 15 made cuts from 21 starts that included four top-25 finishes.

The nine men who went to the PGA Tour made a combined 153 starts, making a respectable 85 cuts with a small return of just seven top-10s.

Sweden's Jesper Svensson is the second-highest DPWT graduate in the FedEx Cup standings (Image credit: Getty Images)

There will certainly be a number of reasons for the players' struggles, from a new culture and living arrangements to playing against stronger opposition on courses that they have never seen before.

Learning new courses was something Thriston Lawrence admitted was a struggle at the US Open this year.

"In Belgium I finished fourth on a golf course that I know. I've played there two years before that. So that obviously gives you confidence. Here on the PGA Tour every single golf course is new. I think Myrtle Beach is the only one that I've played. Missed the cut by one there," he said.

"I think if I manage to keep my card this year on the PGA Tour, next year I will feel like I'm back on the DP World Tour, like everything, all golf courses are familiar. You know where is the range and where is everything.

Thriston Lawrence has made just six of 18 cuts on the PGA Tour this year (Image credit: Getty Images)

"Some guys get that quickly. For me, I feel like I've adapted because I travel all around the world. But it just doesn't always work as planned."

Robert MacIntyre also pointed out that he found the PGA Tour to be lonely at times during his rookie season in 2024. “You come out here to the PGA Tour, and it's also so unfamiliar. There's less chatting. There's less dinners. There's just less of that big family feel that you get on the DP World Tour," he said.

The idea of DP World Tour players earning a PGA Tour card and turning it down is fairly ridiculous but the numbers from this year show that it doesn't automatically mean that you've made it to the big leagues and your career is suddenly going to take off.

It clearly is a big step up and a huge task, especially as the DP World Tour players do not qualify for the PGA Tour's eight $20m Signature Events, meaning it is harder to climb the FedEx Cup standings.

There have certainly been success stories from the new pathway and it would have been a great learning curve for every single player, but the numbers make it hard to argue that the total of 10 cards is beneficial for all parties involved.

And while the PGA Tour rookies struggled on the whole, it is actually Tom McKibbin who has earned far and away the most money after his controversial move to LIV Golf.

Tom McKibbin has made over $4m in 11 LIV Golf League starts this year (Image credit: Getty Images)

The young Northern Irishman joined the Saudi-backed tour to go against advice from Rory McIlroy, and it looks to have paid off...literally. McKibbin has made over $4m on-course so far in 2025, which is comfortably the most of the ten players and over $2m more than the highest DPWT 10 earner did on the PGA Tour.

McKibbin has not had to worry about missing cuts, of course, and has settled well on the 54-hole team tour this year with four top-10s from 11 starts. Seeing his success, and Adrian Meronk's last year - who turned down a PGA Tour card and earned over $5m in his debut season - will surely be noted by DPWT players.

The nine PGA Tour rookie who all missed out on the Playoffs will now focus on the FedEx Cup Fall, starting after the Tour Championship later this month, where they'll bid to finish the season inside the top 100 to keep their cards for 2025.

Take a full look at how all 10 players have fared so far this year: