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AND THEY’RE OFF… THE RACE TO DUBAI FOR $20m
THE HSBC Champions in Shanghai not only signifies the start of the 2009 season, it also heralds the arrival of the $10million Race to Dubai – the European Tour’s answer to the FedEx Cup.
Instead of the traditional Order of Merit, every player competing on the five Continents the European Tour will visit in the coming 12 months, will be aiming to finish in the top 60.
That will earn an invite to the S10million Dubai World Championship – to be played at Greg Norman’s stunning Earth Course at the United Arab Emirates’ Jumeirah Estates, where untold riches will be up for grabs in the world’s biggest-ever single tournament in prize fund terms.
The DWC winner will pocket a cheque for $1,666,660 and a five-year exemption.
And at the conclusion of the Dubai World Championship the top 15 players in the money list will share the bonus pool of $10million.
The player crowned Europe’s number one next year will pick up an extra cheque for $2million alone, plus a seven-year Tour exemption – two years more than the current Harry Vardon Trophy holder Robert Karlsson earned.
Players who use StrokeAverage.com to analyse their stats and overall performance have fared well over the past three years, carrying off some of the biggest prizes on Tour – including the 2005 Volvo Masters and HSBC Champions titles, won by Paul McGinley and David Howell, respectively.
And the latter became the first StrokeAverage.com client to win the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in 2006 – previously the biggest single tournament outside of the Open on the European Tour Schedule.
Players such as Darren Clarke – the only European to win two World Golf Championship titles – and Lee Westwood, the highest ranked StrokeAverage.com client in the world right now, will be itching to become the first winner of the Race to Dubai.
And Howell, who is on the comeback trail after injuries and loss of form struck his game for the best part of 18 months, and up-and-coming stars such as Ross Fisher and Graeme McDowell, who both finished inside the top 10 on the 2008 money list for the first time, will be keen to gatecrash the party.
Even the player finishing 15th after the DWC will pick up an extra $250,000 on top of their normal prize money – this year Retief Goosen, who took 15th spot earned €1,051,355 from 15 events, of which only five were on European soil.
The new season’s structure – which promises to take in 53 tournaments in 27 different countries over the coming 51 weeks – has been welcomed by the star names on the European Tour.
Spanish Ryder Cup star Sergio Garcia, who helped launch the Race to Dubai at Turnberry on the Ayrshire coast last month, can’t wait for the HSBC Champions tournament to get underway in China.
The 27-year-old, who is tipped by many to finally break his duck in the Majors in 2009, having won the Players Championship at Sawgrass in May, said: “I want to be in it and I want to win it!
“I was pleased with last season but I believe I can take some big steps forward in the coming year.”
And some of the big names in the American game are already queueing up to ahead across the Atlantic for the climax of the Race to Dubai – given that the S10million FedEx Cup reaches its conclusion in mid-September with the Tour Championship at Eastlake Golf Club, in Atlanta.
Anthony Kim, who was one of America’s stars at Valhalla in the absence of the injured world number one Tiger Wood as Europe lost the Ryder Cup for the first time in nine years, and Columbian Camilo Villegas, who won two of the FedEx play-off events this year, have already been persuaded to take part by close friend Garcia.
The pair came to Spain for the Castello Masters at Garcia’s home club two weeks ago as a foretaster to the Race to Dubai.
World number two Phil Mickelson, the HSBC Champions defending champion this week, is also mulling over his schedule before deciding whether to join the Tour for 2009, while WGC CA Championship winner Geoff Ogilvy and fellow Australian Robert Allenby have both rejoined the European Tour after several years’ absence.
Players must now compete in 12 events instead of 11 to become a member of the Tour, which including the four Majors and three World Golf Championship events, means they must commit to playing in another five events throughout the year to be eligible to go to Dubai, assuming they finish in the top 60.
The Race to Dubai is backed by Leisurecorp, who bought Turnberry, which will host next year’s Open, earlier this year, and the multinational firm behind the Jumeirah Golf Estates development.
A delighted George O’Grady, chief executive of the European Tour, said: “The Race to Dubai is a major boost for The European Tour.
“Leisurecorp’s sponsorship is giving us great confidence for the future and it will bring a whole new dimension to the European Tour by significantly raising the bar for the players to exhibit their outstanding skills on the world stage.”
And the prospect of a player carrying off the Dubai World Championship and the Race to Dubai titles at the same time should help Europe keep one step ahead of the Americans – the FedEx Cup has not been decided at the Tour Championship in its first two seasons, bringing certain criticism of the play-offs.
O’Grady added: “We feel the bonus pool will provide an extra incentive for the players and ignite interest for the spectators throughout the season culminating in an exciting finale at the Dubai World Championship.
“With the combined prize funds of the Dubai World Championship and The Race to Dubai, we have the prospect of a player standing over a putt for US$3,666,660.
“All eyes will focus on Jumeirah Golf Estates at the end of the season.”
Dubai is already home to the richest horse race in the world, now it will also boast the richest golf tournament Put the date in your diary… the Dubai World Championship is on from November 19-22, 2009.
As part of the overhaul, which also includes a complete new branding and signage for the European Tour, from 2010 the season will start in January with the South African Open at the Jack-Nicklaus designed Pearl Valley Golf Club, in the Western Cape.
The Race to Dubai Bonus Pool Breakdown
1 US$ 2,000,000
2 US$ 1,500,000
3 US$ 1,000,000
4 US$ 800,000
5 US$ 700,000
6 US$ 600,000
7 US$ 550,000
8 US$ 500,000
9 US$ 450,000
10 US$ 400,000
11 US$ 350,000
12 US$ 325,000
13 US$ 300,000
14 US$ 275,000
15 US$ 250,000
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