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Rory McIlroy breaks new ground by playing in India this week as he makes his comeback to competition for the initial occasion since the prestigious team event.

While the Northern Irishman expands his competitive experience, the European golf circuit enters the closing stage of this year's Race to Dubai. McIlroy is in pole position to secure the annual championship for the fourth consecutive year and seventh time overall.

There are only three more events after the India Championship; the following week's Genesis tournament in South Korea - which wraps up the second half of the tour calendar - and then the final two tournaments in the Arabian region.

These big money 'play-off' events in the UAE capital and the emirate are exclusively available for the leading seventy and then top 50 in the standings.

However for the likes of Fleetwood and Lowry, who are also in this week's field in the subcontinent, there is less pressure than one would expect.

Sitting below the seventieth position, at first glance it would appear both need high finishes from their visit to the Indian course to extend their seasons. Yet, actually, they are guaranteed in advance of their positions in the UAE and Dubai.

This is due to a little publicised but practical exception whereby members of the European squad are also considered qualified for the upcoming season finale events.

Fleetwood, who triumphed in the PGA Tour's play-offs with his impressive win at August's Tour Championship in Atlanta, sits ninety-fourth in the continental circuit's annual rankings. The Irish champion, who sank the putt that retained the team trophy, is one hundred fifty-fifth.

Additional European team-mates who can also qualify are Aberg (seventy-second) and Straka (one hundred forty-seventh).

This might question the fairness of a play-off system, which by definition is supposed to bring intense competitive jeopardy, but this situation also illustrates realities faced by the Wentworth-based DP World Tour.

The tour is dependent on big backers such as DP World, who are also the naming sponsors of this current tournament in the Asian nation. They need the biggest stars at their premier tournaments to justify the financial commitment, which runs to substantial funding.

The talented golfer has experienced one of his best campaigns, capped by his maiden victory on American soil at the Atlanta course just under eight weeks past.

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

Common sense trumps pure competition, even though the world number five - a Dubai resident - has saved his best performances for tournaments that do not count on his domestic circuit.

The Englishman has to date played only four European tournaments and been unable to finish in the leading twenty at any of them; the Middle Eastern event, UK tournament, BMW PGA Championship or Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Major championships also count on the Race to Dubai and his sixteenth-place finish at the British Open was his sole high finish in the major events. However on the American-based circuit he achieved seven placements in the top five.

Fleetwood was also the team's highest contributor at Bethpage last month. It would be ridiculous for him not to be taking his place with the tour's leading stars at the end of the campaign.

Although in the past the PGA and European tours were fierce competitors they are now inextricably linked thanks to the strategic alliance that supports DP World Tour financial rewards.

While Marco Penge, recent champion of the Open De Espana, has positioned himself in close pursuit as his closest rival at the top of the Race to Dubai, much of the attention for the remaining schedule will have an US focus.

The storyline will be driven by the competition for ten spots on the PGA Tour for those who do not currently possess tour cards in the US. The rising star, with three DPWT wins, is guaranteed of what is generally considered as advancement to the American tour.

The Lancashire golfer, who also secured invites to the Masters and Open with his Spanish success, is not in the tournament lineup but will mount a final push to try to overhaul the leader at the peak of the rankings.

And the English competitor, the player Penge beat in the Spanish playoff, is one of four other Britons in the thick of the competition for a future US tour card.

Northern golfer Parry and the West Country pair of Jordan Smith and Laurie Canter also presently hold spots that would provide a valuable opportunity for the coming season.

Certain analysts view this development as proof that the European circuit is now nothing more than a feeder for big brother on the other side of the pond.

However the organization argue it is a vital mechanism that supports their tour calendar, a essential and enticing element that maximises competitive chances for its participants.

Undoubtedly this is the season period where the realities and compromises of men's professional golf seem at their most evident.