Following a Sunday win on the DP World Tour, Sami Välimäki has moved into the top 10 of the Race to Dubai Rankings – PGA TOUR Eligibility ranking.
Välimäki, the 2020 DP World Tour Rookie of the Year, won the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters with a birdie on the first playoff hole against Jorge Campillo. Välimäki shot a final-round 69 to overcome a one-shot deficit entering the day. Välimäki is now fifth in the Race to Dubai Rankings – PGA TOUR Eligibility ranking and poised to earn a PGA TOUR card for 2024. It marked his first win of the season. Välimäki, 25, has finished runner-up twice this season.
This is the first year the top 10 in the Race to Dubai who are not yet exempt on the PGA TOUR will earn PGA TOUR cards for the following season. The No. 1 player will be fully exempt in 2024 and earn a spot in THE PLAYERS Championship.
The top four in the Race to Dubai Rankings – PGA TOUR Eligibility ranking is unchanged. Adrian Meronk holds a narrow two-point lead over Ryan Fox at No. 1. Victor Perez is third, followed by Min Woo Lee and Välimäki.
Robert MacIntyre maintained his spot at No. 6 with a T6 finish in Qatar. Alexander Björk is ranked seventh, with Campillo’s runner-up finish moving him inside the top 10. Campillo, a first-team All-American at Indiana in 2008 and 2009, jumped from No. 17 to No. 8 with the performance. Campillo, 37, won the Magical Kenya Open Presented by Absa in March.
Thorbjørn Olesen and Ryo Hisatsune round out the top 10. Olesen dropped one spot in the rankings despite a T9 finish. Hisatsune dropped from seventh to 10th after finishing T21.
Lee’s position inside the top 10 opens up another potential PGA TOUR card. The Australian, who has top-10s at this year’s U.S. Open and THE PLAYERS, is on the verge of earning his TOUR card via nonmember FedExCup points.
Joost Luiten ranks 11th, eight points ahead of Yannik Paul. Rasmus Højgaard is 15th in the standings. His twin brother Nicolai, who played on this year’s European Ryder Cup team, is in line to earn a TOUR card via non-member points, as well. His 466 points would currently rank 108th in the FedExCup Fall standings.
The DP World Tour is off this week ahead of its final two events, which boast bigger purses and increased points as playoff events. The Nedbank Golf Challenge is hosted in South Africa before the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
Source : PGA Tour
