Your Local London
Text your news or pictures to 80360 starting message with LOCAL. click here for details »
Race to Dubai unveiled
10:19pm Monday 6th October 2008
The 2009 European Tour and the inaugural Race to Dubai will feature a record 53 tournaments in 26 destinations.
Replacing the Order of Merit is the Race to Dubai, which begins with the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai on November 6 and ends with the 20million US dollar (£11.3million) Dubai World Championship at the Jumeirah Golf Estates from November 19-22, 2009.
The top 60 in the Race to Dubai will qualify for the Dubai World Championship, which has a prize fund of 10million US dollars (£5.6million) and a first prize of 1.6million US dollars (£900,000).
A bonus pool of 10million US dollars will also be shared by the top 15 players in the Race to Dubai after the tournament, with the race winner taking away another 2million US dollars (£1.1million).
The record number of tournaments is due in part to a minimum of two events, the HSBC Champions and the UBS Hong Kong Open, each counting twice on the 2009 schedule - once in 2008 and again in 2009.
In addition there are five 'new' tournaments - the Czech Golf Open, English Open, Canal+ Open, Volvo World Match Play Championship and Dubai World Championship.
From 2010, the tour will revert to a calendar-year programme starting with the South African Open at Pearl Valley in January and concluding with the Dubai World Championship in November.
That will mean Leisurecorp, the Dubai World company specialising in developments and investments in sport and with whom the European Tour have a wide-ranging partnership, hosts the start and finish of the schedule. Leisurecorp have also bought Turnberry, which will stage the 138th Open Championship next year.
George O'Grady, chief executive of the European Tour, said: "We are excited about the start of the Race to Dubai and the superb quality of the field for the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, with five of the top seven currently active players in the world all entered.
"The Race to Dubai will bring a new dimension to the European Tour and the partnership with Leisurecorp is central to our plans for the future."
Editor's Choice
Banking Bill leads Queen's Speech
Gordon Brown has presented a slimmed-down legislative programme for the coming year in a Queen's Speech focusing tightly on measures to help Britain through the economic downturn.
Health boss 'expects' child protection review
A HEALTH chief has written to local NHS organisations and urged them to review their child protection procedures, in the wake of the death of Baby P.
WALTHAMSTOW: Woman forced to live with gaping hole in ceiling
A TEENAGE tenant has had to tolerate a large hole in her kitchen ceiling for seven months.
Librarygate: Council opened "ghost libraries" to fool inspectors
Scheming Lambeth Council conned Government inspectors to protect its position as London’s most improved council, then tried to cover it up.
Bexley Council care cuts to hit 2,000
UP to 2,000 vulnerable people who were receiving their home care through Bexley Council are likely to have their help withdrawn.
REDBRIDGE: Man arrested in 'Christmas crackdown'
A MAN from Redbridge has been arrested as part of a London-wide police operation to crackdown on commercial robberies in the run-up to Christmas.
Speaker faces MPs after search row
Commons Speaker Michael Martin is preparing for a showdown with MPs furious over the Scotland Yard raid on Damian Green's parliamentary office.
George O'Grady
In this section
Sponsored Links
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
