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Rory McIlroy ventures into new territory by competing in India this week as he makes his comeback to action for the first time since the prestigious team event.

While the Northern Irishman widens his competitive experience, the DP World Tour enters the final phase of this year's season-long championship. The world-class golfer is in pole position to secure the season-long title for the fourth season running and seventh occasion in total.

This includes only three more events after the Indian event; the following week's Genesis tournament in Korean venue - which concludes the second half of the tour calendar - and then the final two tournaments in the Arabian region.

These big money 'play-off' events in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are reserved for the leading seventy and then top 50 in the season rankings.

But for players such as Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry, who are also in this week's field in India, there is less pressure than you might imagine.

Comfortably below the top 70, at initial inspection it would appear both require high finishes from their trip to the Indian course to keep alive their seasons. Yet, actually, they are guaranteed in advance of their positions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

This is due to a little publicised but practical loophole whereby members of Europe's Ryder Cup team are also deemed eligible for the upcoming season finale events.

Fleetwood, who won the PGA Tour's play-offs with his impressive victory at the season-ending event in Georgia, lies 94th in the European tour's season-long table. The Irish champion, who sank the putt that secured the Ryder Cup, is 155th.

Additional European team-mates who can also qualify are Aberg (72nd) and Straka (147th).

This might question the fairness of a playoff structure, which by nature is supposed to bring intense high-stakes drama, but this situation also demonstrates practical considerations faced by the headquartered DP World Tour.

The tour is reliant on major sponsors such as the title partner, who are also the naming sponsors of this week's event in India. The tour requires the top players at their premier tournaments to justify the investment, which amounts to substantial funding.

Fleetwood has enjoyed one of his most successful campaigns, highlighted by his first win on American soil at the Atlanta course just under two months ago.

He is one of the continent's elite players and, honestly, it would be unthinkable to stage the 2025 season finale without him.

Common sense overrides competitive integrity, even though the top-ranked player - a Dubai resident - has saved his best performances for events that do not qualify on his domestic circuit.

The Englishman has so far played only four European tournaments and failed to place in the top 20 at any of them; the Middle Eastern event, UK tournament, flagship event or pro-am competition.

Major championships also contribute on the Race to Dubai and his sixteenth-place finish at the Open was his sole high finish in the big four tournaments. However on the American-based circuit he achieved seven top-five finishes.

Fleetwood was also the team's highest contributor at Bethpage last month. It seems ridiculous for him not to be participating alongside the circuit's top performers at the end of the season.

While in the previous era the American and European circuits were deadly rivals they are now closely connected thanks to the strategic alliance that supports DP World Tour financial rewards.

While Marco Penge, recent champion of the Spanish Open, has moved into close pursuit as his nearest challenger at the top of the Race to Dubai, much of the interest for the remaining schedule will have an US focus.

The storyline will be driven by the competition for 10 places on the American circuit for those who do not currently possess tour cards in the United States. The rising star, with three European victories, is assured of what is widely regarded as 'promotion' to the American tour.

The Lancashire golfer, who also guaranteed invites to the Augusta National and British Open with his Madrid victory, is not in the India field but will mount a last effort to try to overhaul McIlroy at the peak of the standings.

Meanwhile the English competitor, the man Penge defeated in the Madrid play-off, is one of four other Britons in the thick of the competition for a future US tour card.

Yorkshireman Parry and the West Country pair of Smith and Laurie Canter also presently hold positions that would provide a golden ticket for the coming season.

Certain analysts see this development as evidence that the DP World Tour is now essentially a development tour for the larger circuit on the American continent.

However the DP World Tour argue it is a crucial system that underpins their schedule, a necessary and attractive feature that optimizes playing opportunities for its participants.

Certainly this is the time of the year where the realities and necessary adjustments of elite golf competition seem at their most evident.