Which DP World Tour Players Are Most Likely to Succeed in America

Golf can offer some fabulous rewards and never more so than on the PGA Tour next year, with some huge prize money on offer as the gauntlet is thrown down to LIV Golf.

It means that missing out on the top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings can be excruciating, while for those who get their first shot at life on the other side of the pond it can change everything.

The DP World Tour season has just come to end, with 10 golfers gaining PGA Tour cards as a direct result of their efforts in 2022-23.

The PGA Tour season has also just concluded, with some notable golfers losing their playing privileges.

There can never be any guarantees, no matter what you have achieved in the past or what you did as a world-class amateur or promising young professional.

These are the golfers who will be hoping to change their lives.

Adrian Meronk

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

The Pole is surely best-equipped of the 10 rookies to make a decent fist of things on the PGA Tour. Still smarting from being overlooked for the European Ryder Cup team, he will also feel that he has a point to prove. He is a wonderful ball striker and is turning into a serial winner. He will be fine.

Ryan Fox

Has already played a fair amount of golf in America with little success, and I see little in his game to convince me that that is going to change in 2024. It will be interesting to see exactly how much golf he opts to play in America.

Victor Perez

At his best, the Frenchman is a world-class golfer. But he struggles for consistency. In saying that, you only need one or two really good weeks on the PGA Tour to change your life forever.

Thorbjorn Olesen

I believe that Olesen could be the real surprise package. After going through some personal issues he has turned things around and has just completed the most consistent season of his career. Has a wonderful temperament.

Alexander Bjork

A decent DP World Tour golfer, but I will be astonished if he can find the form that will be required to keep his card.

Sami Valimaki

If he is going to succeed in America, Valimaki will need to give himself a good talking to. He is a volatile player and his frustration just might get the better of him.

Robert MacIntyre

Many of the courses on the PGA Tour are set up for target golf. That means if you can find fairways and are good with a wedge and a putter in your hands then you are likely to succeed. And there are few better on the greens than MacIntyre.

Matthieu Pavon

The Frenchman has enjoyed an astonishing finish to the season, but can he keep it up? I am not so sure that the PGA Tour is going to suit him.

Jorge Campillo

Sorry Jorge, I know you have had a decent season but the PGA Tour may just be too much of a step up in class.

Ryo Hisatune

Japanese golfers don’t have a great record in America but 21-year-old Hisatune may be an exception. Won the French Open at Le Golf National, which is one of the most challenging courses on the DP World Tour. He will relish the challenge and I believe he will keep his card.

Let’s now take a look at some of those who have lost full playing right in America.

Carl Yuan

Yuan began the season with high hopes are finishing as number one on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022. But he ended 2023 in 126th place, missing out by one place. And now he must return to the second tier and try all over again.

Maverick McNealy

McNealy has made a lot of money without ever really making the breakthrough and he finished 128th. He joined the tour in 2020 and has earned $7.5m in prize money. However, he he missed six months with a shoulder injury and will apply for a medical extension.

Jimmy Walker

Walker won the US PGA in 2016 and has six PGA Tour wins to his name. But he suffered serious health issues and has been battling to regain fitness. His best finish last season was a tied 13th at the Farmers Insurance Open. He ended the year in 139th place. He was only able to play in 2023 on the back of a career money exemption and faces an uncertain future.

Charley Hoffman

Had a miserable season, finishing 141st in the standings but will be able to claim a career money exemption in 2024.

Doc Redman

Redman was one of the world’s best amateurs and much was expected of him when he joined the paid ranks. It hasn’t happened for him and he ended the year in 158th place. If he wants another crack he must either come through Q-school or spend a year on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Jason Dufner

Another former US PGA champion who has lost his game. He finished in 165th place. He was able to compete in 2023 on the back of a career money exemption but will now have to depend on a category that gives past champions with more than 150 career cuts a further exemption.

Sean O’Hair

O’Hair is a four-time winner who has always struggled with consistency. He finished 166th, playing on the same exemption category as Dufner. He will get one more go on the same category.

Zach Johnson

The Ryder Cup captain made 21 starts and finished 168th, with a best finish of tied 12th at the Honda Classic. He was able to play on the basis of being 14th in career money earnings, and will be safe for another year.

Nick Watney

Wanted is a five-time winner whose game ended up in the doldrums. He used his career money exemption to compete last season but made just eight cuts in 32 starts and ended the season in 199th place. If he wants to do it again in 2024 he will be able to do as a past winner who has made 150 cuts.

Brandt Snedeker

Another forty-something who has battled to remain competitive and finished 213th in the FedEx Cup standings. He played in 2023 on a career money exemption - for the second time. Has been dogged by a back injury.

None of that will put off the 10 men who have graduated from the DP World Tour.