Race to Dubai: Patrick Reed Leads as Rory McIlroy Chases Record-Tying Title

American Patrick Reed holds the lead in the DP World Tour's 2026 Race to Dubai, the season-long points competition that crowns the tour's champion, with four tournaments remaining. Rory McIlroy, chasing a record-tying eighth title, has slipped to third behind Reed and Spain's Eugenio Chacarra as the circuit reaches its final stretch in Asia and the Middle East.

Current Standings With Four Events Left

The order has shifted in recent weeks. Earlier in October, Reed led with McIlroy in second place, roughly 300 points behind, according to UAE outlet The National. By October 13, Chacarra had overtaken McIlroy for second, pushing the Northern Irishman down to third, about 308 points off Reed's lead and 142 points behind Chacarra, according to figures reported by Golf.com and The Irish Times.

What Winning Would Mean

• For McIlroy, an eighth Race to Dubai title would be his fifth in a row and would tie Colin Montgomerie's all-time record of eight European Tour Order of Merit titles, according to The National and ESPN.
• McIlroy has won the title seven times, most recently in 2025 for a fourth consecutive year, surpassing Seve Ballesteros's six, per Golf.com and ESPN.
• For Reed, the current leader, a win would make him only the second American to claim the trophy after Collin Morikawa, and would secure him a place in PGA Tour Signature events reserved for top finishers who are not full PGA Tour members, Golf.com reported.

Background: How the Season Finishes

McIlroy is playing the DP World India Championship in Delhi this week but is skipping the Genesis Championship in South Korea, meaning he will contest three of the remaining four events, according to The Irish Times. Reed is set to appear at the DP World Tour Championship for the eighth time in his career, The National reported.

The season concludes with the Abu Dhabi Championship at Yas Links from November 5-8, followed by the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates' Earth Course in Dubai from November 12-15, per Sky Sports' 2026 schedule. The top 70 players in the Race to Dubai rankings qualify for the tour's season-ending play-off events, according to the DP World Tour's own standings page. McIlroy has won the Dubai finale three times before, in 2012, 2015 and 2024, The National noted.

Also This Week in Delhi

Away from the standings, McIlroy arrived in Delhi wearing noticeably baggier, wide-leg trousers than his usual fitted style. He said he had admired fellow golfer Tommy Fleetwood's switch to the look and decided to try it himself, describing the fit as still being adjusted, CBS Sports reported. He brought no backup pair, and the DP World Tour's official social media account joked about his new look under the tag of the India Championship.

McIlroy also said he supported the DP World Tour's new policy barring players who join a planned LIV Golf 2.0 format from competing in 2027 tour events. He also discussed his 10-year, $200 million Nike apparel deal, saying the partnership meant a great deal to him, according to Yahoo Sports.