England’s Paul Waring, 39, authored a seminal moment in his career Sunday, winning the DP World Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship against a star-studded leaderboard including Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood.

It likely means another seminal moment in a week’s time.

With his two-stroke victory in Abu Dhabi, Waring moved to No. 3 on the Race to Dubai Rankings – PGA TOUR Eligibility. After this week’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship, the top 10 on the Race to Dubai Rankings – PGA TOUR Eligibility will receive dual membership on the 2025 PGA TOUR.

Waring has made 332 career DP World Tour starts; his first title came in his 200th start at the 2018 Nordea Masters. He has made just 11 PGA TOUR starts, including seven in major championships, but that could soon change in a big way.

“I’m a bit taken aback right now,” Waring said after his win. “It just means so much to so many other things that come with that win. That said, early in the week, to actually keep control of myself in the way that I did today, I'm really proud of myself.”

The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship marked the first leg of the two-event DP World Tour Playoffs, with the top 50 on the season-long Race to Dubai after Abu Dhabi advancing to this week’s DP World Tour Championship, contested at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. The 10 players who earn dual PGA TOUR membership via the DP World Tour will join graduates from the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry in a category on the PGA TOUR Priority Ranking that is subject to periodic reshuffles.

South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence, who finished fourth at this year’s Open Championship, leads the Race to Dubai Rankings – PGA TOUR Eligibility with one event remaining, followed by Rasmus Højgaard, Waring, Niklas Norgaard, Matteo Manassero, Jesper Svensson, Thorbjørn Olesen,Rikuya Hoshino, Sebastian Soderberg and Jordan Smith.

Click here for the Race to Dubai Rankings – PGA TOUR Eligibility standings.

Olesen tied for third at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship to vault from No. 12 to No. 7 on the Race to Dubai Rankings – PGA TOUR Eligibility, a key leap at a crucial time. Olesen, 34, has notched eight career DP World Tour titles and has made 78 PGA TOUR starts, highlighted by a third-place finish at the 2018 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He has competed in 27 major championships, with top-10 finishes at the 2012 Open Championship (T9) and 2013 Masters (T6).

Waring and Olesen were the only two players moving inside the top 10 in Abu Dhabi, as the veteran Waring vaulted from outside the top 15. Italy’s Guido Migliozzi (ninth to 12th) and France’s Romain Langasque (10th to 13th) fell outside the top 10; Migliozzi finished T52 in Abu Dhabi, while Langasque finished T32.

Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin, who grew up at the same home club as Rory McIlroy, hung onto the No. 11 spot with a T10 finish in Abu Dhabi. Veteran Frenchman Julien Guerrier, who captured his first DP World Tour title at last month’s Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters, holds down the No. 14 spot with one event remaining, followed by Antoine Rozner at No. 15.

This marks the second year where the top 10 on the Race to Dubai, not otherwise exempt, will earn PGA TOUR membership. Two members of the inaugural class, Robert MacIntyre and Matthieu Pavon, have won on TOUR in 2024.