Race to Dubai 2016 Standings: Rankings, Predictions After Turkish Airlines Open

Thorbjorn Olesen battled his way into the top 10 of the Race to Dubai standings by winning the 2016 Turkish Airlines Open, the first of three European Tour Final Series events.

With top players Henrik Stenson and Rory McIlroy not competing, Danny Willett had the chance to be the big winner in Turkey, but the Masters winner finished in 68th place and carries dreadful form into the final weeks of the season.

The 29-year-old knows his game isn't clicking right now:

Instead, it was Olesen who dominated from start to finish in Antalya, fighting off a late surge from David Horsey and Haotong Li, who both finished with rounds of six-under on Sunday.

Here's a look at the current top 10 of the Race to Dubai:

Pos	Player	Tournaments Played	Race to Dubai Points
1	Henrik Stenson	14	3,843,284
2	Danny Willett	23	3,591,120
3	Rory McIlroy	13	2,824,149
4	Tyrrell Hatton	22	2,362,376
5	Alex Noren	21	2,318,604
6	Rafa Cabrera Bello	21	1,969,107
7	Louis Oosthuizen	14	1,760,893
8	Chris Wood	25	1,756,331
9	Thorbjorn Olesen	25	1,751,589
10	Branden Grace	14	1,749,895

Olesen entered the Turkish Airlines Open in shaky form, making just three cuts in his last 12 tournaments, but he played excellent during the first three days of the tournament and took a seven-shot lead into Sunday.

Horsey and Li both put pressure on the Dane during the final round, but Olesen made a handful of fantastic escapes and kept his advantage alive with his putter.

Here's a look at one of those escapes, via the European Tour's official Twitter account:

Birdies on the 14th and 15th made the difference, and even a bogey on the 16th couldn't stop Olesen. Horsey bogeyed the same hole and shot par the rest of the way, while Li finished with back-to-back pars.

Per the European Tour's official website, the winner felt dealing with pressure was the key to his win:

"

I actually slept alright the last couple of days. It was a weird feeling – I knew the guys today were able to shoot a low number so I had to make a few birdies. After nine holes guys were shooting really low numbers so all of a sudden there was a lot of pressure on.

I felt like I kept it pretty steady. Obviously the last four holes were tough mentally.

"

Bernd Wiesberger just missed out on a spot in the Race to Dubai top 10 after finishing fourth in Antalya, five shots behind Olesen. The Austrian played three great rounds but only managed a one-under on Friday, and he'll have to tighten things up heading to Dubai.

McIlroy and Henson remain the clear favourites to win this year's DP World Tour Championship, the climax of this year's Race to Dubai. The two have split the last four editions and have both been in solid form this season, sitting third and first in the standings, respectively.

Per Agence France-Presse (h/t BBC Sport), McIlroy didn't travel to Antalya due to security concerns, and after his solid showing in China, he's in prime position in the standings, regardless.

JOHANNES EISELE/Getty Images

As reported by Will Gray of GolfChannel.com, Stenson has been working on his swing in the United States, and he was never entered in the tournament to begin with.

Just one tournament remains before the final showpiece in Dubai, with the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa next on the schedule. It wouldn't be a surprise to see more top players ranked high in the Race to Dubai drop out, with the bulk of the field focusing their attention on the main prize.

Stenson already has two wins in Dubai under his belt, and given Willett's dreadful form, he and McIlroy have to be regarded as the top favourites. The Swede has been just a little more consistent this season, so he's the safe pick to win the event.

Prediction: Henson to win the DP World Tour Championship and finish the race in the lead.